Quest
by White-Knight-1988
Summary: With the Turbo Rangers powerless and Zordon missing, the responsibility to find the wizard falls on the shoulders of those who served him first. And perhaps during this journey across space, they will discover things about themselves they never knew.
1. From Out Of Somewhere

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Timeline: Set roughly one year after the events of Power Rangers: Turbo. In this story, the second team of Turbo Rangers did not immediately follow Divatox into space after being left powerless.**_

_**Summary: Unknown to all but one of the Rangers that served him, Zordon has been captured. While the one searches for him, the Turbo Rangers have been left powerless at the hands of Divatox. Now, four former Power Rangers must travel into the depths of outer space to locate and rescue Zordon. The fate of the entire universe rests on their ability to work together, not only with each other, but with the one who has the power to lead them on their journey.**_

_**A/N 1: As you will all soon discover, I have obviously decided to re-tell another chapter of the Power Ranger's storied history. More so than with "Self-Destruct," I will be taking quite a few canonical liberties from the original story. Unlike "Self-Destruct," which re-told Dino Thunder using original Rangers, in my eyes this is how Power Rangers in Space SHOULD have happened, so hopefully you enjoy it.**_

_**Chapter 1 – From Out of Somewhere**_

_**Original Posting Date: September 21, 2008**_

--

The beach seemed to be where young Tommy Oliver spent most of his free time these days. When he wasn't in class or on the race track, nine times out of ten he was at the beach, in a location off the beaten path that very few people knew about. He never got in the water and he always came alone.

There was just something calming about being able to sit in the sand and watch the waves go by peacefully. He craved the peace of the beach because he was a mess inside, and had been so ever since he'd been forced to pass his powers on to T.J. Johnson a few months back.

Everyone but him had had some sense of direction as to where they were going in life when they'd left the Rangers. Adam and Tanya had moved to Los Angeles to pursue their respective careers in the film and music industries. Rocky returned to Stone Canyon and had spent his entire life savings opening his own dojo. But perhaps the worst of all was that Katherine had left him behind to join the Royal Ballet Company in London.

Not since before he'd moved to Angel Grove had Tommy ever felt so absolutely alone. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd spoken with one of his former teammates. The last he'd heard, Jason had enrolled in the police force in a nearby town called Reefside, Trini was attending Brown University on full scholarship, Billy was still on Aquitar, and Kimberly was still in Florida. Zack had apparently moved back, taking classes at Angle Grove University while teaching part-time at a dance studio in town, but they'd yet to see each other.

Truthfully, Tommy didn't feel much like being found, not even by Zack. Only once before had he ever felt so empty inside, and just like then he knew that there was but one thing that could keep him going. Unfortunately, it had been ripped away from him despite the fact he'd served selflessly for close to four years.

Staring out at the water, Tommy tried to remember what it felt like to hold the Power. It had been only months since he left the Rangers, but it seemed as though it had been years. Sometimes, if he concentrated really hard, he could almost feel a surge of residual energy coursing throughout his body. Of course, it would disappear as quickly as it came, leaving Tommy craving it even more than before.

Without warning, the waves suddenly started to move rapidly, drawing Tommy back from his distracted state. They continued to move faster and faster, crashing hard against the shore. Tommy was quite aways away from the shoreline, but not far enough away that he stayed dry.

Shooting onto his feet, Tommy backed away and watched as the waves grew closer. The further back he moved, though, the further up the beach the waves went. It was like they were chasing him, just a step behind in pursuit of swallowing him whole.

Turning on his heels, he started to run towards the red Chevrolet S-10 parked a few hundred feet away. As he ran he could literally hear the waves hitting the ground inches behind him. Overhead, darkness was quickly settling in.

In a momentary lapse of judgment, Tommy looked back to see just how close the waves really were. His brief pause was all it took for the waves to reach him. He looked up just in time to see them crashing down on him and screamed.

He shot up in bed, his body dripping not with water, but with the perspiration caused by the nightmare he'd been having repeatedly ever since Katherine had left. Alone in his one-bedroom apartment, Tommy breathed heavily as he climbed out of bed and padded towards the kitchen, shirtless in a pair of red flannel pajama bottoms.

After flipping on the lights, he opened up one of the cabinets and retrieved a glass. The first drink of water that he poured from the sink's faucet was gone in a matter of seconds, followed up by another that went down just as fast. His heart pounded against his chest as he set the glass down and gripped the kitchen counter, his head hanging low through a series of long, deep breaths.

As his body started to slowly readjust, he moved to fill his glass for the third time. The faucet's stream had just touched the bottom of his glass when the lights began to flicker out of nowhere.

"What the…" Tommy started, his mouth snapping shut as his entire apartment fell into total darkness, making it impossible to see anything that was more than a few inches away from him.

A rush of energy washed over Tommy who cried out from the relatively painless but unexpected surge. He didn't know what was happening, only that his enjoyment increased exponentially as the sense of power around him continued to grow stronger. Then there was a bright flash of red light and he was gone.

It took roughly thirty seconds for him to reappear, an expression of shock and awe on his face as he observed his new surroundings. Actually, they weren't all that new. In fact, they were quite familiar. He was in the old Power Chamber, the place that had been the base of operations for the Zeo and Turbo Rangers.

The first thing he noticed was Dimitria, the Inquirian who had replaced Zordon as their mentor when the latter had chosen to return to his home on Eltar. She looked down at him from her energy tube, nodded once in approval, and then motioned to her left. Tommy followed her movements to find the last three people he'd been expecting to see.

"Jason, Zack, Trini," said Tommy in disbelief, rushing to his friends. He greeted them with excitement, embracing Trini and kissing her cheek before exchanging handshakes and hugs with Jason and Zack. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Beats me," answered Zack, shrugging. "Tube lady seems to like asking questions more than answering them. The only thing she said was that we would know everything when all who were needed had arrived."

Chuckling, Tommy nodded his head knowingly. If there was one thing about Dimitria he disliked, it was her affinity for answering questions with more questions which had often conflicted with Tommy's more straight-forward way of thinking.

"Dimitria, who else are we waiting for?" asked Tommy.

"All who are needed have arrived," Dimitria answered simply.

When she said nothing else, Jason looked up at the floating woman expectantly. "So does that mean you're gonna tell us what we're doing here, or do you want us to play Twenty Questions to guess it?"

Dimitria furrowed her brow slightly, shifting her attention from Jason to Tommy. "Is your friend always so sarcastic?"

Tommy sighed. He was not a patient man and the exasperation on his face was already beginning to show. "Dimitria, can you please just tell us what's going on? I honestly don't have the energy to answer a bunch of questions."

"If you cannot answer a few simple questions, then how can you be expected to carry out your mission?" Dimitria asked in reply.

"Mission?" questioned Trini, wearing a look of confusion that matched those of her friends. "What mission?"

"Yeah, what mission?" Zack interjected, echoing Trini's curiosity.

"Time is of the essence, Power Rangers; even I will not keep you longer than is absolutely necessary," Dimitria answered, looking to each of the four teenagers individually. "Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, Master Vile, the Machine Empire, Divatox, and their henchmen have banded together to form a terrible team known as the United Alliance of Evil. With their combined efforts, they were able to imprison Zordon. No one knows where they have taken him."

Shock seemed to be the most shared emotion amongst the four former Rangers. A sense of despair washed over them, but Tommy, ever the leader, struggled through his emotions in an attempt to piece together what Dimitria had told them.

"But how?" asked Tommy, shaking his head in disbelief. "And even more, what are we supposed to do? We don't even have any powers."

The remaining three all nodded in agreement. While each one of them would have done anything they could to save Zordon, it wasn't like they could go tramping across the galaxy powerless. Dimitria couldn't expect them to do that, could she?

"Unfortunately, Tommy, I cannot help you with that dilemma. Only a being as strong as Zordon can create a connection to the Morphing Grid," Dimitria answered, the dejection evident amongst the four. "All I can provide for you is an opportunity to search for him and the means to do so."

"What do you mean by 'the means to do so?'" asked Jason, wondering what Dimitria could be talking about if not new powers.

The floating woman indicated to her right and an image of a modest spacecraft appeared. "The Aquitians have offered to lend you the ship _Hydro One_. I wish I could provide you with more, Rangers, but this is all I can give you."

Tommy didn't even have to think twice about it once he had fully grasped what was at stake. His allegiance to Zordon ran deep; powers or not, he wasn't about to sit back and do nothing while Zordon remained in danger.

"I'm in," said Tommy, simply but sternly.

Jason looked to Tommy, his mouth partially hanging open. "Are you serious, bro? You're gonna run around the galaxy without powers?" he asked, Tommy nodding. "You've gotta be kidding me! That's suicide, Tommy."

"Maybe," Tommy shrugged nonchalantly, "but Zordon has risked his life to save mine on more than one occasion and I'm willing to do the same for him. Whether or not you guys are is up to you."

"Tommy is correct, Rangers," Dimitria interjected. "No one is forcing you to accept this mission, and no one will hold it against you should you choose to decline it. The choice is yours to make, and only yours."

In silence Jason, Zack, and Trini shared a momentary look with one another while Tommy and Dimitria waited for their answer. Jason was the first to make up his mind, looking from Dimitria to Tommy. "I can't let you do this, bro," said Jason, hanging and shaking his head. When he raised his eyes a few seconds later, he wore a sly grin. "Not by yourself, at least; I'm in, too."

Smiling appreciatively, Tommy nodded and quickly bumped fists with Jason before looking elsewhere. "Zack, Trini?" he asked.

The former Black Ranger shrugged his shoulders helplessly before shifting his attention to Dimitria. "I don't suppose I can get a refund for the seven grand I dropped on school this semester, can I?" Zack asked jokingly. The other Rangers chuckled, but Dimitria did not seem amused. "You win some, you lose some, I guess."

"Is that a yes?" Jason replied.

"Someone's gonna have to keep you two overly serious nut jobs from going insane. Count the Zack-man in," Zack answered, laughing. "What about you, Tri? You're not gonna let three irresponsible, teenaged guys run around the galaxy unsupervised, are you?"

"Don't give me that, Zack. I have school, and…and," Trini tried, stammering from the puppy dog eyes and pouted lips of her three male friends. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go, but the first time I hear a fart joke or anything gross like that, I'm kicking all of your asses."

All at once they rushed to hug her, promising that they would be on their absolute best behavior. For a moment it seemed as if they were going off on some kind of fun-filled adventure, but Dimitria was quick to bring them back to reality, clearing her throat loudly to regain their attention.

"This mission will not be easy, Rangers," said Dimitria. "If you are to have any hope of rescuing Zordon, I suggest you stop treating it like a game."

Embarrassed to the point of blushing the Rangers nodded apologetically, but as they did so something popped into Tommy's head that caused him to raise his eyes to Dimitria. "Why us, Dimitria? What about T.J. and the rest of the Turbo Rangers? Why couldn't they go after Zordon?"

Dimitria did not hesitate with her answer. "Their destiny ended the moment it was discovered that Zordon had been captured. Could they have gone in your place? Certainly; but given the choice, who would you prefer to send? Your connection to Zordon will drive you beyond your limitations. Where the Turbo Rangers could potentially be stopped by this evil alliance, I have faith that you will not."

Her statement was a profound one, and left very little that needed to be discussed. There was only one question left and it was Zack who asked it. "When do we leave?"

"Now," answered Dimitria, closing her eyes.

Suddenly the Power Chamber was filled with an array of flashing, multi-colored light. Red, black, blue, and yellow illuminated the room in a way that would have made the most spectacular display of fireworks seem like nothing more than child's play. Columns of similarly colored energy enveloped the Rangers moments later, carrying them away to the place where their mission would begin.

Taking up their duty at a moment's notice; this was what it meant to be a Power Ranger.

--

The never-ending stretch of darkness patterned with stars and the occasional planet was one of her only friends these days. It had been so very long since the young woman with shoulder length, auburn tresses and soft brown eyes left home, her dreams and everything she cared about gone for the sake of a mission that was too important for even her to ignore. She'd walked away from this life almost two years ago only to be called back at the worst time possible.

Draped over her chair as she stared out the window of her spacecraft was a jacket, one of the few personal items that she had been allowed to bring from home. Colored red, white, and blue it represented everything that she had left behind. With each passing day spent on this ship, traveling from planet to planet with no end in sight, she began to doubt more and more the mission she'd been assigned.

What little information she was given before her departure from Earth had been useless at best. A handful of leads had turned out to be dead ends, taking her halfway across the galaxy before she'd deemed her efforts futile and decided to start from scratch. The average person would have given up after their first encounter with an army of android assassins, but then she was no ordinary person.

Perhaps that was why she'd been chosen in the first place. For as long as she'd been gone, the reasons behind her selection had baffled her. She had been the victim of more sleepless nights than she cared to count, tossing and turning in her bed while debating why, of all people, it had to be her. She wasn't even active; surely there was someone out there who could have carried out this mission better than she.

Alas, she'd been told there was no one else and that she alone was responsible for locating one of the most powerful forces in the known universe; a daunting task indeed, especially for one who'd been away from the Power for so long. The first time she'd touched it after being away for over two years had been something of a reawakening, taking her from normal to extraordinary in a matter of moments.

Reading a magazine sixth months old for what had to be the hundredth time, her eyes fluttered momentarily before settling on her left arm. Subconciously, she reached out and touched the black device strapped to her wrist. How such a small mechanism could contain so much power had baffled her for years.

Sighing, she stood from her chair, put on her jacket, and moved across the large control room in search of her backpack. She looked all over the spacious room, searching every nook and cranny at least twice, but found nothing.

"I could have sworn I left it by the door," she murmured to herself. Stepping out into the hallway, she looked left and right just in case she'd somehow left it outside. "Alpha, Alpha-5 where are you!?"

The echo of heavy footsteps hurriedly approaching reached her ears moments later. Turning into the hallway was a robot roughly four feet tall with a round, elongated head. Colored red, blue, and gold, the robot's chest was decorated with a jagged lightning bolt. Its arms moved up and down, almost flailing as it closed the gap between itself and the young woman who had summoned it.

"Ay-yi-yi, you called for me?" Alpha spoke, its voice male, high-pitched, and friendly.

"Have you seen my backpack, Alpha?" the woman asked. "I thought I left it in the control room, but I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Your backpack?" asked Alpha in return as she nodded. "Of course I've seen it. I put in your room an hour ago just like you asked me to. Don't you remember?"

Surprised by the robot's answer, the young woman shook her head. "No…I, uh, it must have slipped my mind. Thanks, Alpha," she answered, turning for her personal quarters. Halfway down the hall, she stopped and turned around just in time to catch Alpha before he disappeared into the control room. "Tell DECA to set a course for Darin-7. I have a contact on the outskirts there that might be able to help us."

Alpha nodded and then stepped out of sight. Once he was gone, the young woman closed her eyes. She couldn't remember telling Alpha to move her backpack. Truth be told, she couldn't remember a lot of what had happened recently. Her memories since leaving home seemed to blur together in one giant lump, making it almost impossible to pinpoint one specific remembrance.

"No more drinking with bounty hunters," she told herself, continuing down the hallway.

In her room she found her backpack, sitting on her bed just like Alpha told her it was. Plopping down on the thin mattress, she unzipped the pink pack and reached inside, pulling out an envelope stuffed full of photographs. She flipped through the pictures quickly, removing some and setting them on her bed until she had built a small pile. The photos that hadn't been set aside were returned to the envelope and then her backpack.

Resting her back against the headboard, she picked up the pile and started looking through them once more, this time paying more attention to the details of the pictures, each of which contained the same two people. Along with herself was a young man; he had chocolate brown eyes, long brown hair, and the most gentle expression she'd ever seen.

She had left him behind to chase her own dreams—dreams she admitted were selfish in retrospect—but more and more these days he was in her thoughts. When she returned to the ship, often times dirtied and beat down both mentally and emotionally from another empty lead, it was he who kept her going. Even though she hadn't seen or spoken to him in nearly two years, she knew that he would be proud of her if he could see what she was doing now and the person she had become.

A single tear slid down her cheek as she reached out and touched the young boy's face, wishing that she could really touch him again if only for a few moments. It pained her to know how unlikely that was. Their friends had told her how badly she'd hurt him; deep down, she knew that she'd be lucky if they ever even spoke again. But this was the path she had chosen and so she would deal with the consequences, even if that meant a lifetime of wondering what could have been.

"I'd give anything just to see you one more time, so I could tell you to your face how sorry I am for what I did to you. That's not going to happen, though. You have your own life to live, a life that doesn't include me anymore," she said quietly, eyes brimming with unwanted tears. "Tommy, wherever you are, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for leaving you, and I'm so, so sorry for thinking that I could ever find someone who made me as happy as you do."

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift off for a quick nap, but what had been intended as a brief rest was extended as she dreamed happy thoughts of the boy she'd left behind. When she dreamed of him it was always pleasant, for it was only in her sleep where she could escape the harshness of her reality, a reality where one bad decision had led to an eternity of unhappiness.

It was nearly two hours later when she was roused from her sleep by a robotic, female voice communicating with her via loudspeaker. The voice belonged to DECA, the spacecraft's onboard computer system capable of intelligent speech.

"_Kimberly, we will be approaching the Darin System in approximately two standard hours. Once we have entered the system, approximate travel time to Darin-7 is eight standard hours."_

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Kimberly Hart let out a loud yawn as pushed herself into a sitting position against her bed's headboard. "Thanks, DECA," she said sleepily. "How are we doing on fuel?"

"_Sensors indicate that the fuel supply is nearing fifty-percent and that we will need to stop to refuel in order to reach Darin-7."_

Though DECA could not see her, Kimberly nodded nonetheless. "Stop at Darin-4. We'll fuel up there," she said, waiting for DECA's confirmation before continuing. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"_No, Kimberly that will be all."_

"Okay," Kimberly replied, swinging her legs to the side of the bed and standing. "If you need me, I'll be on Level Three. Can you have the Quantron simulation ready for me in the training room?"

"_Of course."_

Kimberly thanked DECA before slipping her feet into a pair of white tennis shoes striped pink and exiting her quarters. Down the hallway she walked until she reached the lift that would carry her up to Level Three. It was a quick ride, taking all of seven seconds, and then she was off, navigating another long stretch of hallway.

To one who had never seen the training room before it would appear as nothing special. It was a large room, the walls, ceiling, and floor all made up of the same gray space metal. Other than Kimberly, there wasn't a single thing in the room.

That didn't last very long, though. There was a bright flash and suddenly the room was no longer so empty. In fact, she wasn't even in the room; or at least that's how it appeared. Carefully, she crept through the park she had frequented so many times—both in real life and in the simulation—waiting for the first sign of enemy life.

She caught a brief glimpse of silver through her peripheral vision and started running in that direction. From behind a tree came a long, jagged, curved blade; Kimberly rolled under it just in the nick of time. Staying low, she extended her leg and brought her attacker crashing down with a quick sweep.

Rolling onto her back, she pushed herself forward and into the air, landing feet first on the Quantron's chest. Blue waves of electricity rippled up and down the soldier's armored body, causing it to convulse momentarily until it went still for good. Not two seconds later a heavy hand fell on her shoulder, whipping her around.

Before the second Quantron could attack further, Kimberly drove her fist straight into its' metal face, knocking it down easily. Behind her she heard a familiar sound. Slowly, she turned around to see at least a dozen more Quantrons ready to do battle. Without hesitation she flipped forward, kicking—and quickly eliminating—a Quantron with each foot.

This continued for nearly an hour, the Quantrons replenishing until Kimberly's muscles burned from sheer exhaustion. When she'd first attempted the Quantron simulation, she had barely lasted ten minutes before being defeated. Her skills had obviously increased significantly in the two months that she'd been on the ship, necessary considering the galactic scum that she encountered on a daily basis.

Acquiring information while still floating under the radar of the United Alliance of Evil required her to deal with the absolute bottom of the barrel. Bars and cantinas were her most frequent visiting places and sometimes, being an attractive human female, in a seedy locale on a strange planet, meant having to fight to stay alive.

Her initial encounters with alien life had been less than unpleasant. As she quickly learned, blasting Kryloks was messy and Garshins had the tendency to let out bloodcurdling screams when they had their necks snapped. She'd gotten used to it over time, though, and eventually enough rumors had been spread across the galaxy that most creatures knew better than to mess with the cloaked female who supposedly moved faster than light and attacked with the force of a thousand men.

Being feared, however, did not always equate to receiving good information, another fact she had learned from the start. It would take the hands and feet of ten to count the number of times she'd been lead astray, her spirit growing increasingly dejected each time she failed to find the one she searched for.

Her own father had been a nonfactor in her life for quite some time. If she was honest with herself, she probably wouldn't go to these lengths to find him if he went missing. But she'd go to Hell and back to locate the man she loved as though he had been the one to birth and raise her.

Zordon of Eltar had been the father figure to Kimberly that her maternal dad had rarely been. The wise sage was the first who had showed her what it truly meant to do something for someone else. When she needed someone to talk to for things that her friends could not help her with, he had always been willing to offer an ear and a sound piece of advice that always seemed to be right in the end.

He had been there when she needed him, now he needed her and she'd be damned if anything bad happened to him while she had the power to stop it. No matter what it took she was going to find Zordon.

This was what it meant to be Kimberly Hart.

--

"_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"_

The thrusters of the _Hydro_ _One_ roared powerfully as the spacecraft slowly began its ascension from its resting place in an Aquitian hangar. The ship trembled slightly, causing the Rangers who'd been exploring it to slide and stumble in an attempt to maintain their footing. Sharing looks of displeasure and uncertainty, they all grabbed something and held onto it like their lives depended on it, their grips remaining firm until the ship had stabilized shortly thereafter.

Who exactly was piloting the ship, they didn't know. Half an hour ago they'd been teleported to directly to the ship and had spent their time since then becoming acquainted with the vehicle that was to be their home for the remainder of their mission. Of all the doors they had encountered only the one marked "Cockpit," was locked.

They'd also found quarters designated to each of them, finally giving Tommy the opportunity to clothe himself properly. Instead of the pajama bottoms he had arrived in, he now wore a pair of grey trousers, a red t-shirt, and black boots.

Staring out a nearby window, Trini watched sadly as Aquitar rapidly grew further and further away. Knowing exactly what was bothering her, Jason stood behind his friend and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll get to see him again someday, Tri, I promise," said Jason softly.

Blinking back tears, Trini nodded. "He was so close, Jase," she murmured distantly, "so close."

Jason didn't really know what to say. Unlike Tommy and Trini, he had never had the one person he loved more than anything taken away from him. So instead of trying to reassure Trini on a subject he didn't understand, he simply pulled her in for a hug and held onto her as she fought with herself to not cry.

For his part, Tommy held his tongue and remained quiet. While Trini knew that Billy was living on Aquitar, he didn't have the heart to tell her that their young scientist friend was already married to an Aquitian woman. Part of him wanted to tell her because, truthfully, she deserved to know, but a much larger part didn't want to say anything at all. Being the bearer of bad news was one of the few responsibilities that came with being a Power Ranger that he had never been much good at.

Allowing Jason and Trini their necessary space, Tommy pulled Zack off with him to explore the ship further. During their first go-around they'd encountered a recreation room and a holographic version of chess that had sparked Tommy's interest so that was where they were heading now.

Time, it seemed, went by slower in space than it did on Earth. Minutes seemed like hours; hours, like days. How long they had been gone was unsure. It could have been an hour or it could have been ten, no one knew for certain.

"Knight to B-Five," Zack muttered, watching as his piece beheaded one of Tommy's Pawns. "Space sucks a big one, bro."

"What do you mean?" asked Tommy, moving his Rook, "Check."

Zack stared down at the board in disbelief. "That's what I mean," he replied, pointing towards Tommy's Rook. "We've played this stupid game like twenty times and I've only won once. Man, I don't even like chess. It's boring, and so is being in space."

Tommy chuckled. "It's not exactly _Star_ _Wars_, is it?"

"Seriously," Zack answered, shaking his head. "What I wouldn't give to have to outrun a fleet of TIE-Fighters right now."

No sooner had the words escaped Zack's lips than something slammed into the side of their ship, shaking it violently from side to side as the lights flickered uncontrollably. Tommy was on his feet in a flash, rushing to the nearest window. Not too far ahead he laid eyes on what was easily the biggest spaceship he had ever seen before approaching quickly. If that wasn't bad enough, the nose of the ship was glowing red in preparation for another blast.

"Son of a bitch, that thing is huge," said Zack who now stood next to Tommy.

"You're telling me," Tommy replied. "But why is it shooting at us?"

Before Zack could answer, a voice male and robotic sounded throughout the entire ship.

"_Engine one has sustained heavy damage and immediate repair is necessary. Course has been redirected from the Gamma System to the Darin System; engaging emergency hyper drive now."_

The ship lurched back hard, throwing Tommy and Zack onto the floor before it rocketed forward a moment later. As soon as they could get back on their feet they were at the window once more, watching as the stars surrounding them turned into a blur of white light.

"See," said Zack, playfully slapping Tommy's chest as he bounced around excitedly. "That's what I'm talking about, right there!"

Half-laughing, Tommy shook his head. "You do realize we probably could have just been killed for no apparent reason, right?"

Again, Zack was cut off before he could reply, this time by a disoriented Jason who burst into the room with Trini following right behind him. "What the Hell just happened to us?" he asked, running to the window only to find that white was all he could see.

"From the looks of it, I'd say someone knows what we're doing out here and wasn't very happy about it," Tommy answered. "If I had to guess, I wouldn't doubt it if Zedd and Rita had something to do with it."

"How could they possibly know where we are already?" asked Trini, looking to her teammates.

"They never had any trouble finding us before," Zack replied, Tommy and Jason nodding their agreement. "Why would it be any different now?"

Jason could hear his friend's discussion faintly, but he wasn't paying much attention to it, instead remaining focused on the blur of white outside the window that appeared to be slowing down rapidly. "Uh, guys," he muttered, rapping his knuckles against the glass. "I know I'm not exactly a seasoned explorer of outer space or anything, but that definitely isn't right."

The other three Rangers moved to see what Jason was talking about, Tommy's eyes growing wide from what he saw. Not only had the movement of the stars slowed down immensely, within a matter of seconds they had stopped completely.

"No, no it isn't," Tommy murmured in reply. "Guys, I uh, I think we're about to go down."

Sure enough, the ship started to hiccup forward momentarily and then they were moving faster than they'd been going in hyperspace. Unfortunately, their progression was now a downward plummet towards a yellow-orange sphere. Panic set in shortly after that.

By the time the spacecraft had reached the outer rim of the planet's atmosphere minutes later, the Rangers had all made peace with their fate. Had it not been for Zack, they surely would have been destroyed right along with the ship.

"Hold on," said Zack, a look of determination etched on his face. Without another word he turned and ran out of the recreation room. When he came back after less than a minute it was with a huge smile. "Let's go."

Seeing as how no one else had any better ideas, they all followed Zack out of the room and through the ship's halls until they reached a wall with five circular openings set in a row. Shifting his focus from the doors to Zack, Tommy chuckled. "Escape pods," he spoke, shaking his head. "Zack, buddy, I could kiss you right now."

"What do you guys say we save the celebration until after we get our asses off of this thing?" Jason interjected, tightly gripping the railing above the opening he stood in front of.

Tommy shrugged. "Let's do it," he said.

In unison, the four Rangers started to make their move, but Trini suddenly froze and looked to her left. "Wait!" she called out, stopping her teammates just in time. "What about the pilot? We can't just leave him here."

"Trini, we've all seen _Titanic_. The captain always goes down with his ship," Zack replied, itching to escape.

Jason, while definitely in agreement with his longtime friend, took a more serious approach to answering Trini's question. "We just don't have time, Tri. We have to get off of this thing now or none of us are going to make it."

Accepting it for what it was, Trini nodded quickly before throwing herself feet-first through the opening. One after another Jason, Tommy, and Zack followed her down. Shrouded in darkness they sped through a curvaceous tunnel, sliding on their backs until they saw light and fell out, each dropping into their own individual escape pod.

The pods were simple at best; one chair, one window, and no controls. Communication was non-existent as the four crafts floated through a never-ending stretch of outer space. In each pod, the same basic prayer was being said. As long as they all arrived in the same place, no one really cared where it was they landed.

Further and further they fell, entering the planet's atmosphere as the pods plunged towards what they all hoped was a safe landing. Having been the first to exit the _Hydro One_, Trini was also the first to see their approaching fate. She breathed a deep sigh of relief when she realized they were heading right for a long stretch of sand colored a beautiful shade of white.

Impact was hard, slamming the Rangers around inside their pods, but no one was dead or injured, everyone had landed relatively close to each other, and that was all they really cared about. The top half of the pods started to open with a loud hiss as the Rangers all moved to exit as quickly as possible.

"What is this place?" asked Jason rhetorically, looking around at the sand that seemed to go on for miles with no end in sight.

"I dunno," Zack shrugged. "I forgot to pack my copy of Frommer's Guide to Outer Space; my bad."

Chuckling, Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Funny, bro, real funny," he replied, clasping Zack's shoulder. "I don't suppose the Zack-man has any ideas about what we're supposed to do next."

"Hey man, that's yours and Tommy's territory," Zack answered, holding up his hands defensively. "I don't lead. I just kick ass, do a little dance," he continued; spinning around, he dropped into the splits before popping up quickly, "tell a couple jokes, get the ladies, and look damn good doing it."

Funny as it might have been, it was also very true. While the beings called Power Rangers had existed in some capacity, on some planet for nearly seven millennia, their history on Earth only dated back six years. In that time the Rangers had only relied on three leaders, two of whom were currently standing in the middle of nowhere, with no clue what to do, and two more teammates depending on their ability to lead them through it.

Whether Jason and Tommy were up for it was irrelevant, despite the fact that they knew just as much as Trini and Zack. They were the ones who had led before, and thus they would be the ones to lead now even though neither had much of a desire to do so.

"So, uh, which way do we go?" Tommy asked Jason.

Turning his head left and right, seeing the same exact thing each way, Jason looked at Tommy and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't know, man. Every time Zordon sent us somewhere unfamiliar he always gave us a map or some kind of directions. I'm a leader, not a freaking navigator."

"Oh, that's reassuring," Trini grumbled, ignoring the glare shot her way courtesy of Jason.

Nipping it in the bud before it went any further, Tommy quickly interjected. "We'll go this way," he said, indicating the direction to his right. "Hopefully this planet isn't completely uninhabited."

"Yeah, hopefully," Jason muttered, and with that they started to walk.

They moved in single file, Tommy leading the way followed by Trini and Zack, with Jason bringing up the rear. It didn't take long for the heat of this unknown planet's three suns to become unbearable, so bad that Jason, Tommy, and Zack had all removed their shirts and tied them around their heads in turban-like fashion. After just thirty minutes of walking, even Trini was debating whether or not it was worth it to join them. She chose not to for the time being, but kept the idea close by just in case she changed her mind.

Their bodies glistened in the sun, dripping perspiration as they continued on a journey that had no real destination. With no clue what they were doing or where they were going, the morale of the group started to decline rapidly. Even Zack's wisecracks, which always seemed to lighten the mood in the past, were wearing thin.

It was only when they had reached their breaking point that salvation presented itself. Zack had just told a joke, Jason was about to wring his neck, and Tommy froze completely. Trini, who'd been concentrating on the ground in an attempt to block out the noise from the boys, walked straight into Tommy, her collision with his body causing her to stumble back into Zack's chest. They both went down, Zack completing the domino effect by flailing against Jason.

Turning around, Tommy looked down at the disgruntled trio grounded in the sand and shook his head. "What are you guys doing down there?" he asked, smirking at his friends. "Now's not the time for a rest. There's a bunch of buildings on the other side of this hill so come on, let's go."

All three had been contemplating how they were going to attack Tommy for his sarcasm, but with his mention of possible civilization all had been forgiven. Jason, Zack, and Trini were back on their feet in an instant, rushing to see the buildings Tommy had spoken of. Sure enough, there they were; a series of dark brown structures aligned in a U-shape just half a mile or so away.

From there it was something of a foot race to see who could make it there first. Zack got down the hill before the others, but a winner was never declared. They were all too excited to have finally laid eyes on something other than sand and each other. There was a door nearby, and while their first instinct was to approach it, once they had gotten there no one wanted to open it.

"Screw it," said Tommy.

Reaching for the handle, he pushed the door in and was met with loud, cluttered chatter and the sound of the most terrible music he'd ever heard. When he and the other Rangers entered what appeared to be a bar of some sort, everything came to an immediate halt as the only four humans in the place became the center of attention. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tommy motioned for his friends to follow him as he approached the scaly blue creature with big yellow eyes standing behind the bar.

"Get out," the creature snarled, pointing towards the door.

Put off by the bartender, Tommy furrowed his brow. "Look, we don't want any trouble. Our ship broke down and we just need—"

"I said get out. Humans aren't welcome here," the creature continued, completely ignoring Tommy.

Tommy started to argue, but before he could get a word out someone had grabbed him by the back of his shirt, throwing him into the trio of humans standing near the door. The force was enough to knock them through the door, landing in the sand with a crash. Lying on top of his friends, Tommy groaned and rolled onto his back, joining them in staring up at the sky.

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching, however, was enough to get them moving. Slowly, they staggered back onto their feet just in time to see half a dozen menacing looking creatures of various shapes, sizes, and colors approaching them.

Swallowing hard, Jason took a few steps back, sparing the most fleeting of glances over his shoulder. "Guys, I uh, I think this is where we're supposed to make a run for it."

"Man, I'm too tired to run," Zack muttered, nonetheless preparing to take flight.

Running would not be necessary though. In the minimal space between their would-be attackers, Tommy could barely make out something, someone perhaps, moving in the shadows of the bar towards the exit. Seconds later, his attention was captured as a cloaked figure leapt over the creatures gracefully and landed in a defensive stance staring them down.

"Leave them alone or deal with me," the figure growled lowly, his face shadowed completely by the hood of his flowing brown cloak.

"One more makes no difference," one of the creatures replied, baring its sharpened teeth.

"Fine," said the cloaked hero. Reaching inside the garment, he pulled out a red blaster and pointed it at the one who'd spoken. "Have it your way."

What the Rangers all deemed to be some type of brain matter splattered against the building moments later, the creature collapsing into the sand as tiny wisps of smoke floated into the air from the fresh hole in its forehead. But no more shots were fired, the five remaining creatures quickly converging on their companion's assassin.

The figure tried to fight back, but was easily overtaken by the sheer size and brute strength of the creatures. With not a moment of hesitation, Tommy ran towards the creatures in an attempt to aid the one who had just saved his life. He connected with a flying kick to one of their chests, but the attack did little damage. The creature was barely fazed, taking a staggered step back before batting Tommy away with a powerful swing of its arm.

"NO!" the cloaked one yelled. He moved to help Tommy, but was brought down by the other creatures before he could do anything, helpless as the large beings piled on top of him.

Bleeding from the mouth, Tommy got back on his feet with the help of Jason and Zack just in time to see a burst of pink light from beneath the pile, throwing the creatures back in every direction. When the light had finally dissipated, the cloaked figure was already gone.

"Great," muttered Tommy dejectedly. "We're stuck on a planet that doesn't like humans, our ship has likely been destroyed leaving us no way of getting off said planet, and—" he paused, rolling his eyes in disbelief, "—there are five very pissed off aliens coming right at us."

"I'm not running," Jason replied. "Like you said, we have no way to get away from here. If we're going down, it's gonna be with a fight."

The other Rangers nodded their agreement, dropping into fighting stances as the creatures charged at them. Before any damage could be done, though, there was another flash of pink light, this one marking the re-arrival of the cloaked figure, now holding a small wooden box.

Again, the creatures were thrown back, but the unknown hero paid them little mind as he turned around to face the Rangers. As he slowly opened the box, obviously wanting to show them something, the Rangers started to approach with caution. Expecting something to jump out at him, Tommy jerked back when the cloaked one lifted the lid all the way, revealing four black and silver devices attached to black straps.

Silently, the figure reached up and pulled his hood away from his face, revealing that he was not a he at all, but a she.

"Your new Morphers," Kimberly Hart answered, smiling sheepishly.

Aside from the dumbfounded expressions shared by all the other Rangers, Tommy suddenly felt numb inside. "Kim," he murmured, blinking in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"We don't have time for that right now," Kimberly replied, extending the box towards them. "I'll explain everything later, but if you want to survive long enough to save Zordon you'll take these and do as I do."

With the prospect of the creatures coming back for round three, Tommy reached out with a shaky hand and took one of the Morphers from the box. As he strapped the device to his wrist, struggling with a flurry of emotions, he looked to his left to see Jason, Zack, and Trini all doing the same thing while wearing the exact same expression.

To say they were confused would be a vast understatement, for confusion was not the half of it, especially not for Tommy who struggled more than anyone to grasp what was happening. Fortunately for him, he was given little time to dwell on it as Kimberly moved to stand in front of them. She couldn't help but smile as she looked over her shoulder at her friends, the same friends that hours earlier she had thought she would never see again.

"You guys ready for this?" asked Kimberly, all four nodding even though they truthfully weren't sure. "Alright, then Let's Rocket!"

Jason, Tommy, Zack, and Trini followed Kimberly's movements, opening their Morphers and inputting the same code into the red numerical keypads. The sensation of pure power was incredible, surging throughout their bodies like a wave of electricity as their protective armor settled into place.

Tommy felt so at home in the red spandex uniform, his eyes glimmering beneath the dark visor of his helmet. As Trini admired her yellow suit, to Tommy's left and right respectively, Jason and Zack took a moment to observe their new uniforms and colors; black and blue.

"You stole my color," said Zack, pointing at Jason's black suit.

Jason shrugged. "Yeah?" he asked sarcastically, Zack nodding despite the question's lack of seriousness. "Well, Tommy stole mine so deal with it."

"Touché," Zack murmured. "Well played, sir."

Clearing her throat loudly, Kimberly stood with her hands on her hips as the other Rangers turned around to face her. "In case you forgot, there are two Kryloks, two Quitners, and an Algorian Ripper ready to tear us limb from limb. If it's all the same to you, I for one would like to get out of this alive."

"Which one's the Algorian Ripper?" asked Zack, eyeing the approaching creatures.

"The big red one, why?" questioned Kimberly.

Shifting his gaze to the snarling Ripper, Zack swallowed hard. "'Cause I'm calling 'not it' on that one, right now," he answered, shaking his head.

Kimberly scoffed. "You're such a baby, Zack. That thing you saw me shoot earlier was a Ripper. They're the only ones in the lot that aren't a pain in the ass to kill."

To prove her point, Kimberly removed her blaster from its holster and looked away from the red creature. Staring right at Tommy, she aimed her blaster in the Ripper's direction and fired two quick, confident shots. She didn't need to look to see the result; the sound of a head exploding was all the confirmation she needed.

Somewhere in between blood-boiling mad and painstakingly hurt Tommy blinked rapidly beneath his helmet, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Kimberly had not only saved them, but was an active Ranger again as well.

They hadn't seen or spoken to each other since she and Jason had been kidnapped and sacrificed to Maligore's Pit nearly two years ago, and even then their conversation with one another had been kept brief. And while it had been almost twice as long since they had broken up, if Tommy was honest with himself he still wasn't over it. Seeing her now hurt; far more than he had ever thought it would.

"Impressive, but I can do you one better," said Tommy, almost spitefully.

Anger fueled him as he ducked under the arm of an attacking Krylok and turned sideways; kicking the beast square in the back while the other Rangers went to work on eliminating the remaining creatures.

As it had always done before, the Power instantly began feeding the Rangers everything that they needed to know. With weapons drawn they fought valiantly; Jason attacked with a long, black lance as though he'd used the weapon all his life.

"The bigger they are," he grunted, taking one of the Quitners down with a powerful sweep at the legs, "the harder they fall."

Brandishing a sword hilted red, Tommy swung the saber expertly. The blade easily pierced the Quitner's thickened skin, slicing through it like a hot knife to butter. Before the beast knew what was happening, the dismembered pieces of its' body had been scattered across the ground.

Looking down at the creature's head, Tommy raised his eyes to the now doorless bar and saw the alien who had refused to help him earlier. With a sly grin, he used his foot to flip the decapitated head high into the air. On its' return descent, he took a few steps back and executed a roundhouse kick that sent the head flying straight at the bartender, hitting the alien right in the face and knocking him down.

"He shoots, he scores!" yelled Tommy, pumping his fist.

Not too far away, Zack did battle with the other Krylok, parrying the creature's punches on the shaft of his blue axe. Deflecting a blow, he followed up the block with a side kick to the Krylok's stomach and then quickly slashed at the same area with the axe's sharpened blade.

"Just like old times," said Zack tauntingly, standing tall over the howling Krylok.

Fighting side by side as they had done so many times in the past, Kimberly and Trini attacked the final Quinter relentlessly. It took Trini a little while to get used to her new weapon, a yellow slingshot that fired bursts of matching colored energy, but once she'd mastered it the Quinter didn't stand a chance against the slinger and Kimberly's pink bow.

In unison, the two women knocked the Quinter back with simultaneous kicks to the beast's chest. As the creature staggered in the sand, Trini dropped to one knee and took aim with her slinger as Kimberly stood behind her and did the same with her bow.

"Ready?" asked Kimberly, steadying her weapon.

Trini nodded and answered confidently, "Always."

The Quinter didn't even have time to regain its composure before two shots were fired directly at it. The yellow ball of energy from Trini and Kimberly's glowing pink arrow hit their mark perfectly, the Quinter collapsing as smoke poured from its multiple fatal wounds.

"Bulls-eye," said Kimberly, giving Trini a high-five.

Jason, Tommy, and Zack were quick to join Kimberly and Trini in celebrating their first victory together, exchanging hugs and high-fives all around. Tommy even put aside his own personal conflictions to share a quick hug with Kimberly, much to the amusement of Jason who smiled brightly beneath his helmet.

The rush of victory did not last long, though, as reality once again began to set in. The newest Rangers all had questions; many, in fact, and only Kimberly had the knowledge to properly answer them.

"So, uh, where do we go from here?" asked Zack, looking to Kimberly expectantly.

"Back to my ship and as far away from this place as we can get," answered Kimberly. "Once we're in the air, I'll explain everything; or as much as I can, at least."

--


	2. Enter the Queen

_**A/N 1: First off, let me apologize for the confusion in regards to the posting of this chapter. There was an error in the posting process Sunday, and when I checked the chapter to make sure everything was okay, the line formats and lettering were all weird. I have no idea what happened, but hopefully it's been fixed.**_

_**A/N 2: Also, just wanted to let all of you who have been reading Oltre a Vita e Morte know that I will be taking a break on that story for a few weeks to focus on Quest. What I'm doing is backloading a bunch of chapters so that I can post updates for both stories simultaneously. Right now 5 chapters of Quest are complete and I will start working on Oltre again in a week or two.**_

_**A/N 3: Finally, let me just say that 17 reviews is unbelievable. I was hoping for 8 or 9, but you guys really came through and I just wanted to say thanks. Reviews are the life blood of fan fiction writers and it's nice to know when our work is appreciates, so thanks again.**_

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter2 – Enter the Queen…**_

_**Original Posting Date: September 30, 2008**_

--

Upon a space station floating lazily amongst the stars, a new found sense of uncertainty filled the place as seven different, but equally sinister beings, glared at each other across a long, glossy, wooden table. Just hours ago they had all been positive that their ultimate victory would be swift and definite, now they were questioning whether or not that victory would even come at all.

The red skin of Lord Zedd glowed a bright shade of crimson as he stared down one of his old rival's King Mondo, the leader of the evil Machine Empire. The portly robot showed no fear towards the regal Zedd even as he slammed his fist angrily against the table and pointed his trademark Z-Staff at the Machine King.

"This whole mess is all your fault, Mondo," growled Zedd, his metal-tipped fingers crackling with electricity. Behind him stood his generals—his bony brother-in-law, Rito Revolto, and the winged Titan, Goldar—along with massive armies of Z-Putties and Tenga Warriors ready to fight at a moment's notice. "If you had destroyed the Pink Ranger months ago like you were supposed to, none of this would have ever happened. Once again, your idiotic failures have cost us more time and energy than we can afford to waste."

King Mondo chortled as his Cogs backed him up, waiting for their leader to say the word attack. "Sit down, Zedd, before you embarrass yourself any further," said the Machine King. "Do you remember what happened on Mirinoi? Or did that slip your mind just as your wife's failures on Alandria and Gamma Orion did?"

"Failures?" wailed the sorceress, Rita Repulsa, in disbelief. "You call those failures? Compared to what that bag of bolts you call a wife did on Kalderon, Alandria and Gamma Orion were just minor mistakes."

Rita's comment was enough to push King Mondo's patience to its breaking point. Rising from his seat, he pointed his own staff at the witch. "How dare you insult my wife! Had it not been for her saving your wretched life on Fernovia you would have already been destr—"

"Shut up!" roared Master Vile, rising from his seat, shaking his serpentine head. "I grow tired of your foolishness!"

"You tell 'em, Daddy!" Rita cheered, sneering at Mondo and his wife, Queen Machina.

Shifting his attention to Rita, Master Vila glared daggers at his daughter. "When I said 'shut up,' I meant you, too. You and that pathetic excuse of a husband have failed to stop the Pink Ranger at every turn," he replied bitterly, returning his gaze to the Machine Empire, "As have you. One lowly, weak, pathetic Pink Ranger and none of you can find a way to kill her; each and every one of you disgusts me!"

"What about me?" asked the space pirate, Divatox, innocently. Her own generals, Elgar and Rygog, along with a troop of Piranhatrons shadowed her from behind.

"You most of all," spat Master Vile, to Divatox's astonishment. "If I see another one of those blasted detonators, I'm going to take it from you, turn it sideways, and stick it right up your—"

"Enough!" yelled the table's final occupant; a woman with long, curly, blonde hair, dressed head-to-toe in shiny black and silver spandex. She was the evil queen, Astronema, a being feared by many across the universe despite her less than imposing stature. She was also the de facto leader of this deadly alliance. Her universal status was proven as the room fell silent almost instantly. "No one in this room, me included, is free of guilt. We have all had multiple opportunities to end the Pink Ranger's miserable existence, and we have failed each and every time. We underestimated her abilities and now we all have to pay the price for that."

"What is your point, Astronema?" asked Zedd, practically seething beneath the silver mask that covered his face.

"My point, Zedd," snarled Astronema, "is that bickering amongst ourselves is not helping us solve our newest dilemma. There are four more Rangers now, Rangers you yourselves have all said are formidable opponents. If we are to have any chance of defeating them then we must work together. Once the Rangers are destroyed, you can all go back to hating each other for all I care, but until that time I don't want to hear another word about what anyone else has done wrong."

Seated as far away from each other as possible, Mondo and Zedd stared at one another across the table. Their eyes remained locked for quite some time, neither willing to give an inch of ground to the other. Eventually, though, Mondo conceded and looked away, focusing on Astronema.

"And just where do you suggest we begin in destroying the Rangers?" asked Mondo, doubt evident his voice. "How can you expect for us to eliminate five Rangers when we can't even dispatch of one?"

Astronema scoffed, shaking her head. "You leave the planning to me, Mondo," she answered. "I know the perfect thing to get the Rangers out of our hair once and for all, so listen closely because I'm only going to explain this one time."

Over the next twenty minutes Astronema laid out a plan that, while extremely detailed at some points, was equally simple at others; necessary, considering she had the likes of Rita and Divatox to work with. When it was all said and done, even the ones who doubted her most had to acknowledge that her plan was solid.

"I hate to admit it," muttered Zedd, clicking his fingertips against the table, "but this plan of yours is so dastardly that it just might work!"

"I believe this is the first time we have ever agreed on anything, Zedd," added Mondo.

Astronema didn't need their confirmation to know that her plan was a good one, but she nodded semi-appreciatively nonetheless. "If this plan is to succeed then you must all play your parts to perfection. One mistake and it will fall apart completely. Needless to say, the one responsible should that happen would undoubtedly make me very, _very_ angry."

The remaining six villains nodded in understanding, sharing looks of pure, unadulterated fear with one another. Even King Mondo and Lord Zedd could agree that being on Astronema's bad side was a most unfortunate position to be stuck in.

"What are you all waiting for? Get out of here!" Astronema yelled, slamming her fist against the table. With that, the members of the United Alliance of Evil went scattering, their generals and foot soldiers following in close pursuit. Only when Astronema was alone did the figure who'd been lurking in the shadows reveal himself to her. "Which of them do you think will be the first to fail me, Ecliptor?"

The black and green cyborg with evil red eyes looked to his queen. "Certainly that miserable pirate, Divatox," Ecliptor answered, Astronema nodding her agreement. "It was most wise of you to give her and Rita such menial tasks, my queen."

"Let us hope they are as menial as you believe," Astronema replied, smiling wickedly, "for their sake, that is."

--

Five beams of multi-colored light touched down in unison, revealing the control room of Kimberly's ship for the first time to the four new Rangers. Taking a moment to check out their surroundings, Trini noticed Alpha from the corner of her eye and smiled.

"Alpha-5, is that you?" Trini called out as the other Rangers looked to see what she was talking about.

"Ay-yi-yi, Trini!" said Alpha in excitement. Trini rushed to Alpha's side, embracing the robot warmly. "It has been so long since I saw you last."

Trini smiled brightly, the surprise evident on her face. "It's been too long, Alpha."

"Yo, Alpha!" shouted Zack, grinning as he lead the rest of the Rangers towards the automaton. "How's my favorite robot hangin'?"

"Dudes!" said Alpha, looking every which way as Jason, Tommy, and Zack all clasped a part of his metallic body. "Ay-yi-yi, I feel like my circuits are going to overload from seeing all of your faces again."

Tommy laughed. "It's good to see you too, Alpha."

Not since Tommy had passed on his powers to T.J. had he seen the Edonite automaton that had done so much for Zordon and his Rangers. Jason hadn't seen Alpha since his tenure with the Zeo Rangers, and for Zack and Trini it had been even longer.

Standing behind the excited quintet was Kimberly, watching their interaction with an expression of absolute joy. Up until now, she couldn't even remember the last time she had been so genuinely happy. Being alone in the emptiness of outer space for so long had the tendency of doing that to a person, and Kimberly was no exception. Despite her bubbly personality and an outlook on life that was usually extremely optimistic, even she had managed to fall victim to the lonely curse of outer space.

For the first time in a long time her heart had been warmed beyond that of what she experienced in her dreams. She looked on these people whom she had called friends for so many years, and just felt good inside. She couldn't explain it, nor did she have any desire to do so. All she knew was that life didn't seem so bad anymore, and that was good enough for her.

On one knee at Alpha's side, Tommy's eyes unintentionally drifted to his right where he made eye contact with Kimberly. They locked gazes as Tommy slowly rose to his feet, never once taking his eyes away from her. Conflicted beyond belief, he sighed inwardly and managed a small smile.

Caught off guard, it took Kimberly a few awkward moments of staring back at him before she was able to return the gesture. That he wasn't seething with anger at her mere presence gave her hope that maybe all was not lost between them. She didn't expect his love, though she greatly desired it, but perhaps over time they could learn to become friends again.

Once she'd determined that Alpha and the Rangers had had plenty of time to get reacquainted, she started walking towards the group. "Alpha, would you mind giving us a few minutes alone? I think I owe our friends a little explanation."

Alpha nodded. "Of course, Kimberly," he said before turning to the other Rangers. "Ay-yi-yi, it's so good to have you all back again."

Echoing their agreement, the Rangers were all smiles as they watched Alpha exit the control room. When he was gone, Jason shook his head. "Man, I don't know about the rest of you, but this is about the _last_ thing I expected to happen."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life," Kimberly replied, smiling.

"Is there somewhere we can go where we can all sit down and talk?" asked Tommy.

"Of course," Kimberly answered, nodding. "Follow me, guys."

And so they did, allowing Kimberly to lead them through a ship twice the size of the _Hydro One._ As they approached a door it slid open without force, the five Rangers entering a room with a large, circular table at the center. They spread out around the table, taking seats in the comfortable, black leather chairs that surrounded it.

Nervously, Kimberly tapped her fingers against the table's surface. "I guess I should probably start at the beginning, huh?" she asked, the other Rangers nodding. "It all started a couple days after the Pan Globals had ended. I was in my hotel room in New York, packing to go back to Florida when the room started to glow pink. There was this blinding flash of flight and then I was gone. When I reappeared, I was alone in a cave surrounded by people in brown robes."

"Edenoi," Tommy murmured knowingly, recalling his own interaction with the Edonites; one in particular.

"Yep," Kimberly replied, smiling slightly. "You guys," she continued, indicating Jason, Zack, and Trini, "were already in Switzerland and I was in bed with the flu when Tommy and the other Rangers went to Alpha's home planet to help Prince Dex."

"Who's Prince Dex?" asked Zack.

Kimberly looked to Tommy, silently offering him the chance to answer Zack's question.

"Prince Dex is the grandson of King Lexian, ruler of Edenoi and the man who commissioned Alpha 5's creation," Tommy explained, to Jason, Zack, and Trini's surprise. Unlike Tommy, they had never heard the story of Alpha's true origins before. "Along with his friends, Dex defends Edenoi the same way we protected Earth. When Zedd's archrival, Count Dregon, started to attack the planet, Alpha asked us to help his people fight back so Adam, Rocky, Billy, Aisha, and I went to Edenoi and that's where we met Dex, the Masked Rider."

"Exactly," Kimberly added. "So, like I was saying, at first I was scared because I had never seen Dex before, or any other Edonite for that matter. But then he changed into the Masked Rider and I sort of just knew that I wasn't in any danger. Then Alpha showed up, and he and Dex explained to me what had happened to Zordon. When Alpha asked me to help find him, I couldn't say no even though the idea of running around in space scared the living crap out of me. That was just over two months ago, and I've been looking for him ever since; with Alpha's help, of course. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be right now without him."

Tommy nodded. "What about the Morphers and the ship?" he asked. "Where did those come from?"

"The _Shadow Rider _is Dex's. As he explained it to me, it was King Lexian's personal ship before being passed down to him when he took over as the Masked Rider. It was built on a planet called KO-35 and, according to Dex, it's the fastest space ship in the universe," answered Kimberly. "As far as the Morphers go, Alpha gave them to me, but he couldn't tell me where they came from. All he knows is that they had been in Zordon's possession for centuries. Alpha said that when the U.A.E. came for Zordon on Eltar, he insisted that Alpha take the Morphers, get as far away from Eltar as possible, and protect them with his life until he found someone worthy to hold them."

Sharing a look of confusion with Jason, Tommy, and Trini, Zack shook his head. "I don't get it. If Alpha and this Dex guy knew that Zordon was missing, then why did it take two months for Dimitria to send us looking for him? Why did they just call you instead of all of us?"

Sighing, Kimberly shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Zack. I thought the same thing when they asked for my help. Why me, you know? There were at least a dozen other Rangers they could have chosen."

"You were always one of the best, Kim," said Tommy, surprising not only himself, but the other Rangers as well. No one, Tommy included, had expected his treatment towards Kimberly to be anything short of cold. And while part of him still deeply resented her for what she had done to him, he found it terribly difficult to be even remotely mad at her.

"Th-thank you, Tommy," Kimberly stammered, trying not to blush at the compliment. "That means a lot to me coming from you."

Tommy nodded nonchalantly, keeping his emotions as far away from the conversation as possible. He didn't want her to know that just seeing her face made all the problems in his life seem less important. He didn't want her to know that hearing her voice was like a calming symphony to his troubled heart.

He was damn good at hiding those emotions, too, but Jason had known Tommy long enough to recognize when his friend was uncomfortable. Sensing the Red Ranger's confliction, Jason took it upon himself to guide the conversation back on track. "So where do we go from here?" he asked, looking at Kimberly. "Do we even have any clue as to where Zordon might be?"

"One thing you'll learn quickly, Jase, is that there are always clues. Some are just better than others," Kimberly answered. "I was in that bar for a reason today. I heard whispers that the U.A.E. is planning to move something very important some time soon. It has to be Zordon."

"What makes you think that, Kim?" asked Trini, leaning back in her chair with a thoughtful expression. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kimberly, but after what she had seen of the bar's patrons earlier, Trini just didn't know if Kim should have been trusting overheard conversations.

Kimberly did not hesitate with her answer. "Because Zordon is all they have, and right now he's the only thing that's keeping all of them from tearing each other's heads off. Tommy, Jason, you both saw firsthand how much Zedd and Rita hate the Machine Empire and vice-versa. They wouldn't be working together unless it was absolutely necessary to do so."

"Do you have any idea what they might be planning to do to him?" asked Tommy calmly, absorbing like a sponge everything that Kimberly was explaining. While he had not been embellishing when he said that Kimberly was a great Ranger, it wasn't until now that Tommy truly took notice of her leadership abilities, and after her show of force at the bar, he had to admit that she was a much better fighter than he had ever given her credit for.

Kimberly nodded. "I'm not positive about this, but the rumor I've heard the most is that they are currently in the process of draining every ounce of his essence so that it can be sacrificed on Murianthis to revive Maligore."

A momentary silence set in as Jason, Tommy, and Kimberly shared a look with each other that Zack and Trini would never be able to understand. Tommy could still recall vividly the exact moment when he'd been told that Divatox had captured his best friend and former girlfriend. It was one memory that would never escape him, for it was only then when he'd realized that he had never really gotten over Kimberly leaving him.

"We can't let that happen. Zordon is too powerful," said Jason firmly. "Even when it was just Kim and I who were sacrificed, Maligore was wicked strong. If the Alliance of Evil succeeds in sacrificing Zordon, Maligore will be unstoppable."

"Do you know where they're taking him, Kim?" asked Zack.

"I have an idea, but that's it; nothing I can guarantee, unfortunately," said Kimberly, her tone apologetic.

"That's better than anything we have," Tommy supplied, earning a thankful smile from Kimberly which he pretended not to see. "Where do you think they're going?"

Kimberly sighed. "The U.A.E. has been taking him from planet to planet for months now, always finding a way to stay one step ahead of me. Sometimes, when I'm really close to him, I can feel his presence and it always changes based on the planet he's one. When he's at his weakest, it usually means they've taken him to a planet so dark and wretched that even _his_ purity can't shine through it. Onyx is one of those planets, and it's only about twelve parsecs away from where I last saw them on Kalderon. If I had to guess, I'd say that's where they'll be taking him next."

"And if not?" asked Jason.

"Then we'll be no worse or better off than we are now," answered Kimberly. "Look, guys, I've been doing this for two months now, so let me give you a little piece of advice. Don't go into this thinking that every planet we go to is where we'll find Zordon, because nine times out of ten it isn't. And even if we do find him, we still have to get through the combined armies of seven villains all Hell bent on destroying us. I've literally been within seconds of getting to Zordon, only to lose him at the last possible moment."

"Hey now, don't make it sound too easy or anything," said Zack with a teasing laugh.

Closing her eyes for a moment allowed Kimberly to prevent Zack from seeing her roll them. "I know it sounds like I'm trying to discourage you guys right out of the gate, but I promise that's not what I'm doing. I just don't want you guys to go into this thinking it will be easy, because it won't be. It _is_ easy to get down on yourself when it seems like you're constantly taking two steps back for every one step forward, though, but you just have to remember what it is that's at stake here. It's not just Zordon that we're trying to save; it's every living being in the entire universe."

Leaning back in his chair, Tommy closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, silently pondering what Kimberly was telling them. Right away it was clear that this mission was going to be unlike anything they had ever gone through as Power Rangers. Tommy knew that he was ready for it, and Kimberly had been doing this long enough to be ready for anything; he just hoped that the others were ready as well.

"So are we going to Onyx?" asked Tommy, opening his eyes to meet Kimberly's.

"No," answered Kimberly to the surprise of the other Rangers, "not yet, at least. You've always been the leader so I figured I'd leave the decision making up to you from now on."

Tommy nodded, tucking that comment away with a mental reminder to bring it up again later. "We'll go to Onyx then," he replied, Kimberly nodding her understanding. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Right now we're about fourteen parsecs away, so if we set course now it should take us just under seven hours," said Kimberly. "Until then, feel free to take a look around the ship and get acquainted with the place seeing as how this will be home for the rest of the mission."

With that, three of the Rangers moved to explore their new home, but Tommy remained seated in his chair. When he realized that Tommy wasn't following, Jason stopped at the exit and turned around. "You coming, bro?" he asked.

"I'll be there in a bit," answered Tommy, never taking his eyes away from Kimberly as he stared across the table at her. Understanding what was about to happen, Jason nodded silently and continued after Zack and Trini. Though his emotions were in turmoil, Tommy refused to let Kimberly see that. "It's been awhile, huh?"

Kimberly nodded. "Yep," she answered awkwardly, looking away. "How've you been?"

"How honestly do you want me to answer that?" asked Tommy.

Opening her mouth to reply, Kimberly promptly shut it when she realized that she didn't really know the answer to his question. Two years ago she would have gladly listened to Tommy pour his heart out to her, but now she didn't feel like it was her place to be that person in his life.

"Why don't you just tell me whatever you feel comfortable telling me?" Kimberly replied. If Tommy was willing to talk to her, she didn't want to run the risk of alienating him even further by pushing him away.

"Kat and I broke up," said Tommy casually.

Kimberly's eyes went wide with surprise. The last time she'd seen Tommy and Katherine the pair had seemed so happy together. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's no big deal," Tommy replied, shrugging. "She moved away to London to join some dance school or something. Apparently she wasn't up for trying a long-distance relationship either."

Wincing visibly, Kimberly tried her best to hide the sting of Tommy's comment. "I deserved that," she murmured sadly. "Look, Tommy, I owe you an apology. What I did to you was wr—"

"Stop," said Tommy, cutting her off as he winced in visible pain. "You don't need to apologize for anything. We were almost three thousand miles apart and you met someone else, that's all there is to it. You made a choice, and even though I hated it at the time, it was still your choice to make. If you found the guy that you feel you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, then I'm happy for you."

Kimberly had known Tommy long enough that she could see right through it whenever he tried to lie to her, as he was attempting to do so now. "Not that it really matters, but we broke up after everything that happened on Murianthis."

Inside, Tommy felt himself roar with sudden anger. How could she have thrown away nearly three amazing years for a guy she ended up dating for only a few months? "Sorry," muttered Tommy, biting back his bubbling rage for the sake of the team. They were all fish out of water, struggling to make do in a situation that they knew nothing about. The last thing any of them needed was a conflict inside their ranks. "What happened?"

"How honestly do you want me to answer that?" asked Kimberly, smirking. When Tommy didn't even flinch, she sighed. "The truth is that he wasn't you, Tommy. I thought he could replace you, and for awhile I convinced myself that he had, but then Murianthis happened. When you took off your helmet, when I got to look in your eyes for the first time in over a year, everything I felt towards Blake disappeared."

Tommy could not believe what he was hearing. For the longest time he stared at Kimberly in total silence, truly at a loss for words as he tried to wrap his mind around that which she had just told him.

"You broke my heart," he muttered, clenching his fists beneath the table. Maintaining the peace became the last thing on his mind as he rose from his seat. "You broke my heart, and for what!? Some guy you barely knew yet were so sure that you loved!? For three years I gave you everything I had and you stomped and spit on it like you didn't even care! How could you do that to me!?"

Tears brimmed in both their eyes, threatening to fall at a moment's notice. Never in her life had Kimberly hated herself more than she did right now. She'd seen every side of Tommy when they were together. Anger, fear, sadness, joy, uncertainty, happiness; they all paled in comparison to how he looked now.

"Tommy, you have no idea how sorry I am," Kimberly replied, but it was no use. Tommy was furious and the blame was hers to take.

"You're sorry?" asked Tommy, shaking his head. "You're sorry? Were you sorry when you wrote that letter? Were you sorry when Adam read it to me in the Youth Center in front of all of our friends? Were you sorry when I spent every night after that for almost two months wondering what I had done wrong or what I could have done better?"

"I hate myself for what I did to you," Kimberly admitted, the first of many tears to come sliding down her cheeks. "And if I could go back in time and change what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat, Tommy, but I can't. All that I can do is tell you how deeply and truly sorry I am, and hope that you can some day find it in your heart to forgive me."

Staring at Kimberly through tear-filled eyes, Tommy breathed deeply in an attempt to slow his racing heart thumping against his chest. "I have wanted to hate you and I have tried to hate you," he murmured, speaking slowly and quietly. "I've wanted to hate you so much and for so long that it makes my chest burn, but no matter how hard I try, no matter how bad I want to, I can't hate you. I never have and I never will. You could spit on me, kick me to the ground, and laugh in my face and I still wouldn't be able to hate you."

Kimberly didn't know what to say. Tommy was giving up and part of her actually felt like she deserved more than this as punishment. She'd spent months wondering what it would be like when and if they ever spoke again, mentally preparing herself for an outburst of anger and rage that far surpassed that which he had thrown at her.

"You have every right in the world to hate me," Kimberly whispered.

It was almost as though she was urging him to lash out more. She wanted him to take out everything right then and there, not only for her own sake, but because she'd seen firsthand the way the team suffered when Tommy was brooding over things he refused to talk about. If there was to be any hope of finding Zordon, they could not afford for Tommy to be at anything than his absolute best, both mentally and physically.

"Trust me, Kim, I know I do," said Tommy, gripping the table's edge as the beating of his heart finally started to steady. "That's what makes this whole thing so damn hard. It's like my head is telling me to hate you, but my heart—the part of me that should hate you the most—tells me to hug you."

"Can I be honest with you?" asked Kimberly. Following Tommy's single nod, she slowly rose from her chair. "I think we could both use a good hug right about now."

"Yeah, where's Jason when you need him?" Tommy replied. As soon as Kimberly looked away with a dejected expression upon her face he immediately started to feel bad. "Hey," he called out, regaining her attention, "come here."

Smiling, he beckoned her with a wave of his hand and opened his arms wide. Kimberly could hardly believe it was real as she fell into his arms, the same arms that had held her through both the best and worst experiences of her life for nearly three years. Resting her head against his chest, she sighed contentedly.

"I don't want to make any more decisions," said Tommy softly. "I don't want to lead this team."

Leaning back in his arms, Kimberly looked up at him in surprise. "What, why not? You lead the Rangers for almost four years."

Tommy nodded. "I did, and then I passed that responsibility on to someone worthy just like Jason did with me. If we were on Earth, I might not be putting up this fight, but right now you have the most knowledge and experience of the situation we're in, and this team desperately needs that."

She couldn't help but to appear utterly dumbfounded. "You trust me to lead an entire team?"

"I wasn't blowing smoke at you when I said you were one of the best," Tommy answered to Kimberly's appreciation. "There's very little I wouldn't trust you with."

"You mean like your heart?" asked Kimberly.

She couldn't help but to test the waters; such was her nature. Suffice it to say, some things just never changed. Unfortunately, she was left to regret her question as Tommy let go of his hold on her almost instantly, turning his back to her with deflated shoulders.

"No, Kim, not my heart," said Tommy after a few silent moments. He turned back around and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. She need only gaze into the chocolate brown windows to his hear and soul for a moment to see and feel his most deep seeded conflictions. "That's one thing I can't trust you with; not yet, anyway. I'm not a fortune teller, I can't predict what the future does or doesn't hold for us, but for now friendship is all I can offer you."

Though it wasn't necessarily what she wanted to hear, Kimberly was just glad that there was a place for her in Tommy's life at all. "I'm okay with friendship," she replied, "but I want you to know something."

"What's that?" asked Tommy.

"There are two kinds of people in this world," Kimberly answered."The people who make a mistake and say they'll never make it again, then turn around and do the same exact thing; and the people who make a mistake and hate it so much that they don't need to say they'll never make it again because they know in their heart that they won't."

Tommy raised a curious eyebrow. "Which one are you?"

"That, Tommy," Kimberly started, smiling at him before turning around, "is something only you can decide."

And with that she left, Tommy staring at nothing with his mouth hanging wide open. How long he stayed like this he wasn't sure, but it had to have been at least long enough for Kimberly to put significant distance between them because she did not immediately return when an alarm started to wail loudly, shaking Tommy from his stupor.

Pushing the conversation he'd just had to the back of his mind, he sprinted out of the room in search of the other Rangers. Upon turning a corner he nearly slammed right into Alpha, narrowly avoiding the automaton with a graceful spin move to his left.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi, there you are Tommy!" exclaimed Alpha. "Kimberly sent me to find you. She and the other Rangers are waiting for you in the control room as we speak."

"Lead the way, Alpha," he said, following the robot down the hallway. When they arrived in the control room, Tommy found Jason, Zack, Kimberly, and Trini all standing around a glowing sphere that looked eerily similar to the Viewing Globe in the original Command Center. "What's going on, guys?"

Kimberly turned around and motioned for him to join them. "See for yourself," she answered.

Tommy recognized the towering buildings of Angel Grove's business district as soon as he saw them, but that was not all that was familiar. The sphere's image split in half down the middle, revealing Goldar and Rito wreaking havoc on one section of the district while Elgar and Rygog went to work on another area. Both duos lead armies of foot soldiers down the crowded streets, firing at anything and everything in sight.

"We have to stop them," said Tommy, Kimberly nodding her agreement.

"What about Zordon?" Jason asked.

"_The_ _Rider_ isn't the only way to travel, Jase," Kimberly answered, smirking. "We can teleport straight to Earth and the ship will continue towards Onyx without us. We still have almost six hours before we get there anyway."

"If we can teleport to Earth then why do we have to take the ship to Onyx?" asked Trini, confused.

Kimberly shrugged. "That's another one of those questions I don't have the answer to, Tri."

"I believe I do, though," Alpha-5 interjected, waddling towards the group now focused on him. "Teleportation is a very risky means of transportation. It requires both a teleportation grid and an extreme amount of Morphological energy from the people using the grid. The only reason you can teleport to and from Earth is because Zordon's grid in Angel Grove is still active. Once on Earth, you could use the grid and your own Morphological energies to teleport anywhere in the universe but, without a grid in the place you travel to, there's no way to bring you back."

Jason nodded even though he really didn't understand Alpha's explanation. One of the first things that he had learned as a Power Ranger was that sometimes the answers didn't always have to make sense. "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, deciding that this was one of those times. "Let's go!"

Kimberly led the Rangers to a nearby wall with five circular openings that looked just like what they'd seen on the _Hydro One._ Zack took one look at the opening, turned his eyes to Kimberly, and shook his head.

"You said teleporting, not escape pods," said Zack. "There's no way I'm riding in one of those things again. My leg's are still cramped from the first time."

"They aren't escape pods, Zack," Kimberly replied, rolling her eyes. "Just follow me."

Gripping the bar above her, Kimberly pulled herself into the air and swung her body feet first through the opening. The Rangers all followed suit until only Zack remained, staring down the dark tunnel in front of him.

"Damn," he said in defeat, throwing himself into the tunnel.

When he dropped out a few seconds later he was fully morphed, plummeting through space towards a hovering blue glider. His feet landed on the metal surface perfectly, but the board started to wobble from side-to-side as he flailed his arms about wildly.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smooth one, bro," Jason teased, riding his own black glider as though he'd been doing it his whole life.

Zack finally managed to steady himself. "I don't want to hear it, Jase, I really don't," he said. Jason just laughed as Zack turned his attention to Kimberly. "What happened to teleporting?"

"Just wait for it," Kimberly answered simply. Maneuvering her pink glider over a small asteroid, she looked to the other Rangers. "When we get to Earth, Jason, Trini, and I will take Elgar and Rygog. Tommy, you think you and the big baby can handle Goldar and Rito by yourselves?"

Tommy looked at Zack, shook his head, and chuckled before returning his focus back to Kimberly. "We'll make do," he answered, banking his red glider hard to the left to avoid the same asteroid.

"You better save me a piece of Goldilocks, bro!" yelled Jason. "I can't wait to get my hands on him," he muttered, punching a fist into his open palm.

"I'll see what I can do," said Tommy, laughing, "but I'm not making any promises. Goldar and I still have a lot of unfinished business that we need to take care of"

Not seconds later the Rangers and their gliders turned into blurs of multi-colored energy, rocketing through space towards a little blue planet in desperate need of saving. As they entered Earth's atmosphere, their bodies reverted back to their normal states. Atop their gliders, they arrived in the business district of Angel Grove amidst a flurry of explosions, chaos in every direction as innocent civilians ran from the terror surrounding them.

Tommy and Zack let go their battle cries as they flipped from their gliders, landing right in the middle of a group of Zedd's Putties. From the moment the Red and Blue Ranger's feet touched the ground they were fighting.

Ducking one of the Putties, Tommy flipped backwards over another and kicked it in the back, sending it toppling into the first. Three more Putties immediately converged on him only to be dispatched as quickly as they had come. The Power coursed throughout his body and for the first time in a long time, Tommy actually felt good.

"Give Zedd my regards," Tommy grunted, driving his fist right into the Z on the Putty's chest, watching as it fell to the ground and shattered in a flash of light.

While Tommy concentrated on a more serious, straight forward approach to eliminating the Putties, Zack was having fun with it. He hadn't done this in so long, seamlessly mixing martial arts with dancing to create what he called Hip-Hop Kido.

"Man, these clay cronies got nothin' on the Zack-man," said the Blue Ranger tauntingly.

"Hey!" yelled someone from behind them. Tommy and Zack whipped around to find Rito standing there with Goldar nearby. "Mind if we play, too?"

Beneath his helmet, Tommy rolled his eyes. "Rito Revolto," he spoke, his voice littered with sarcastic impression, "how many more times do I have to kick your bony ass before you get the message? You'll never win."

"You guys just never learn, huh?" added Zack, shaking his head.

Goldar roared with laughter. "Foolish humans, we are stronger now more than ever. The Age of Evil has officially begun, and now the time has come for you to pay for your insolence."

"Yeah, well, we'll just have to see about that," Tommy replied, focusing on the Power within himself, "Space Saber!"

"Astro Axe!" shouted Zack.

With weapons drawn Tommy and Zack charged towards Goldar and Rito respectively. Tommy swung his sword hard at Goldar; the winged Titan managed to deflect the blow with his own sword, but he could not prevent the kick Tommy delivered to his midsection.

Goldar stumbled back a few steps. Clutching his stomach, he bellowed angrily. "You will pay for that, Red Ranger!"

Tommy scoffed, dropping into a fighting stance. "Save it, Goldar! You don't stand a chance!"

And with that they engaged each other once more. Nearby, Zack waged a similar war with Rito.

"Come on, you overgrown bag of bones, stop trying to hit me and hit me!" shouted Zack, dancing on his toes around a flurry of Rito's wild attacks. "Man, I didn't think anyone could be dumber than Goldar, but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, you think you're funny, do you?" Rito replied. Pushing away from Zack, he stepped back and pointed his sword at the Blue Ranger. "Let's see if you're still laughing after I fry me up a little Ranger."

Rito fired a burst of red energy from his sword right at Zack, but the blast did nothing. Swinging his axe, Zack used the weapon to literally cut the energy in half which led to it harmlessly disappearing into thin air. "You're gonna have to do a whole lot better than that if you want to stop me, Rito!"

A few blocks away, Jason, Kimberly, and Trini were being kept busy by Elgar and Rygog along with an army of Piranhatrons. Divatox's generals had singled out the Black Ranger, causing Jason to fight two-on-one while Kimberly and Trini battled the Piranhatrons, struggling to break free of the circle the foot soldiers had formed around the pair.

Jason moved fast, somehow managing to block most everything that Elgar and Rygog threw at him along with getting in a few shots of his own. Eventually, though, the stacked odds became too much as Elgar and Rygog took him and tossed his body into a building. He writhed in pain, nursing his back as he slowly pushed himself back onto his feet.

"Come on!" Jason roared. Beating his fist against his chest, he thrust his right arm to the side, "Lunar Lance!"

The black weapon appeared in Jason's hand almost instantly. He twirled the staff from side to side tauntingly, practically begging for Elgar and Rygog to make another move at him. They obliged idiotically and were left to pay the price as Jason swung high at Elgar, elevating the pale white general with a blow to the chin before dropping low and sweeping Rygog's legs right out from under him.

Standing tall over Rygog, Jason silently admonished the general whose bulky armor made it impossible for him to do any more than wiggle around on the ground. "Just like a turtle," he said, shaking his head, "once you're on your back, you're fu—"

"Jason, look out!" yelled Trini, held back by the Piranhatrons.

The Black Ranger turned around just in time to side step Elgar and his sword, the blade of which looked like a row of playing cards. He kicked Elgar hard in the stomach once, doubling him over, then let loose with a series of rapid kicks to the same area, each one lifting Elgar further off the ground.

His final kick sent Elgar high into the air and on his way down Jason swung his staff like a baseball bat. Connecting directly with Elgar's chest, Divatox's general went flying into a nearby building, leaving a permanent impression of his body in the broken concrete structure.

With Elgar out of commission and Rygog stuck on his back for the time being, Jason ran to aid Kimberly and Trini in their battle with the Piranhatrons. Flipping over their circular barrier, he landed right in front of the two women and quickly took out a handful of Piranhatrons with a simple swing of his lance.

"Looks like you two could use a little help," said Jason.

Though she could not see it, Kimberly could practically hear the smirk on his face. "We were doing just fine, thank you very much."

Before Jason could reply, the Piranhatrons disappeared without warning in a flash of orange light. He quickly looked to his left, barely able to catch a glimpse of Elgar and Rygog before they were gone as well. Suddenly, the clouds above started to shift, the sky growing progressively darker until the afternoon sun was completely shadowed.

"_Hey, it's Tommy. What's going on over there? Are you guys alright?"_

Kimberly raised her wrist to her lips. "We're fine, Tommy, but something weird is going on. Get over here with Zack as soon as you can."

"_Goldar and Rito just disappeared on us,"_ Tommy replied. _"We're on our way now."_

Crackling columns of red and blue energy touched down a few moments later, but no one had time to say anything. A large bolt of lightning raced across the sky, connecting with the street just feet in front of the Rangers who were all thrown back as smoke poured from the ground. Clambering onto their feet, the Rangers watched as a black and green being rose high into the air, towering over them at monstrous proportions.

"Time to see what you're made of, Rangers," the monster growled.

"Who the heck is that?" asked Tommy, staring up at one of the few members of the United Alliance of Evil that he had yet to come in contact with.

"Ecliptor," answered Kimberly without hesitation.

Zack looked to his left at the Pink Ranger. "I take it you two are familiar?"

"We may have met a few times," Kimberly answered, swallowing hard. "This is bad. This is really, really bad."

"Why?" questioned Jason.

"Because if Ecliptor is working for the Alliance of Evil then that means Astronema is, too," said Kimberly, knowing that neither name meant anything to other Rangers. "Remind me to explain later. Right now we need to take this guy back down to size."

"Zords?" asked Tommy, raising an impressed eyebrow beneath his helmet.

Kimberly nodded. "I found them on Ganymede a couple days before you guys showed up."

"Convenient," murmured Zack.

Again, Kimberly nodded. "I guess now's as good of a time as any to test them out," she said, thrusting her arm into the air, "Mega Voyager online, now!"

In the depths of outer space, five large columns of multi-colored light shot from the _Shadow Rider_ heading straight for Earth. The Zords arrived seconds later, leaving the newest Rangers in a momentary lapse of awe at what they were seeing.

"Let's do it, guys!" ordered Kimberly, leaping into her Zord as the other Rangers followed. "Log on!" she yelled. Dropping her voice she added, "I've always wanted to say that."

Tommy laughed in the cockpit of his new Zord; a giant, red, humanoid robot with missiles atop its shoulders. "Tommy here," he replied, "V2 Robo Voyager online."

"Jason here," said the Black Ranger, "V3 Shuttle Voyager online."

"Oh, you know the Zack-man and the V4 Rocket Voyager are here and online," said the Blue Ranger, chuckling as everyone else rolled their eyes at him.

"Trini here," the Yellow Ranger followed, "V5 Saucer Voyager online."

"V1 Tank Voyager is online as well," Kimberly added. "Now let's see what these puppies can do!"

From inside the Robo Voyager, Tommy guided his Zord towards Ecliptor where the two giants immediately began to grapple with one another. As Jason, Zack, and Trini flew by the pair Tommy struggled to hold Ecliptor in place, trying to get one of them a clear shot, but Ecliptor was too strong.

Ecliptor threw the Robo Voyager backwards, causing it to topple back and fall to the ground with a loud crash, nearly crushing Kimberly who'd been maneuvering the Tank Voyager closer and closer to the battle in search of an open shot at Astronema's general.

"Tommy, are you okay?" asked Kimberly via the Zord's interlinked communication's system.

"I'm fine, nothing but a few scratches I think," said Tommy, the Robo Voyager struggling to get back onto its feet. "Just keep that guy away from me until I can get up."

"Sure thing," said Kimberly.

Controlling the two cannons mounted atop her Zord, Kimberly took aim at Ecliptor and let loose with a barrage of pink energy. Ecliptor merely held up his hand and effortlessly deflected the attack, sending it right back at the Tank Voyager which was flipped onto its side in a flurry of smoke and sparks as a result.

Flying through the air, Jason piloted his shuttle Zord towards the back of Ecliptor's head, Trini and Zack flanking him from both sides in their rocket and saucer Zords. Swiftly, Ecliptor turned around and batted his hand at Zack's Zord, sending it hurtling out of control towards Jason's Shuttle Voyager. The impact knocked the shuttle into the Saucer Voyager, causing all three to veer off in retreat.

With the Robo Voyager back on its feet, Tommy controlled its every move as it reached down and gently took hold of Kimberly's overturned tank, setting it upright.

"Thanks," said Kimberly.

"Don't mention it," Tommy replied, giving her a thumbs up with the Robo Voyager's hand, "Hey, Kim?

"Yeah, Tommy?" she asked.

"I know I said I was going to stay out of the way and let you lead," he started, readying the Robo Voyager as Ecliptor started to charge him, "but I think it's time we rethink our strategy."

Somehow Tommy was able to connect with a thunderous punch to the side of Ecliptor's head, granting the Rangers a few more moments to regroup as Astronema's right hand man went down in a heap.

"I think you're right," Kimberly agreed. But that didn't stop her from blasting Ecliptor a few times whilst he struggled to regain his footing. Inputting the proper commands into her control panel she called out, "Mega Voyager transformation, now!"

The five Zords immediately obeyed her order, shifting shapes and combining with each other to form the Mega Voyager; the Robo Voyager became the thighs and lower torso, settling into Zack's Rocket Voyager which formed the legs along with the upper torso. The Saucer Voyager folded outwards, becoming the Mega Voyager's arms and chest plate while Jason's Shuttle Voyager split, attaching itself as the shield and head. The transformation was completed when Kimberly's Tank Voyager folded in and became the Voyager's feet.

When all was said and done the Mega Voyager stood as an imposing structure, matching Ecliptor in both height and width. The Voyager's right hand grasped what remained of Zack's rocket Zord, turning it into a powerful projectile ready to be fired at a moment's notice. Even one who knew nothing of the intricacies of Zords would know that the Mega Voyager was a force to be reckoned with just by looking at it.

At the heart of the Voyager, the five Rangers all entered a shared cockpit via openings in their personal Zords. Kimberly sat at the center of the small room, the Mega Voyager's main controls at her fingertips. Tommy and Jason were seated down in front of her, to the right and left respectively; Trini and Zack sat the same way, only behind her.

"Alright guys, let's see what this thing can do," said Kimberly, "Full power, straight ahead!"

"Right!" the Rangers replied, nodding as they guided the Mega Voyager towards a waiting Ecliptor.

On Kimberly's command the Voyager swung its rocket arm at Ecliptor who used his sword to block the attack. He immediately followed up with a strike of his own, but Jason managed to bring the shield around in time to prevent it from landing.

Back and forth they went, engaging in a series of punches, kicks, blocks, and weapon attacks as both combatants struggled for the advantage to no result. Simply put, it was a stalemate of two very equally matched opponents, neither of whom was willing to concede even an inch of ground to the other.

When Ecliptor suddenly started to back away, the Rangers didn't know what to think. So large was the Mega Voyager that its sensors didn't register the miniscule presence of Elgar and Rygog on the ground below. The pair of generals worked rather quickly while still remaining cautious so as not to be stepped on, planting an array of detonators all over the Voyager's legs and feet before disappearing undetected.

The battle continued to rage on for quite some time, but the more it continued the more it started to seem as if Ecliptor was becoming disinterested with them. In the beginning he had fought furiously then his counterstrikes grew lethargic before stopping completely. Now he only blocked the Mega Voyager's attacks, doing only what was absolutely necessary to ensure he remained relatively unscathed.

Though he would have gladly ripped the Mega Voyager apart piece by piece had Astronema ordered him to do so, that was not his place. Destroying the Rangers was a task that he felt he deserved, but for reasons he did not know nor question, Astronema had entrusted that duty with Divatox and her henchmen. His job was simply to keep the Rangers distracted and occupied long enough for the detonators to do what they were intended to do.

"It's like he's not even trying to hurt us anymore," said Tommy, the Rangers echoing their agreement.

"Something is _definitely_ not right here," added Kimberly, trying to decide their next course of action. As she was quickly discovering, learning to lead on the fly was not an easy task. "Zack, Trini, I want full scans on every inch of the Mega Voyager. Tommy, Jason, I need you to do the same thing but do them on Ecliptor."

Nodding their understanding, the Rangers went to work on completing their scans. Trini was the first to turn around, thankful that her dark visor prevented everyone from seeing the fearful look in her eyes. "Guys, we've got at least ten or twelve mini-detonators on each leg. They aren't too powerful on their own, but there are more than enough down there to take this thing out."

"Are they remote-controlled or timed?" asked Kimberly, already formulating their next move.

Trini looked back at the scans on her screen. "Timed," she answered, her eyes growing wide, "and by the look of it we've got less than thirty seconds before they're set to go off."

"This thing is going to blow" said Jason, shooting onto his feet. "We have to get out of here, now!"

For eighty percent of the Mega Voyager's occupants, what to do next was not even a question; they either abandoned ship and lived or stayed on board and died. Kimberly, however, hesitated in following them towards the escape hatch. The clock continued to tick as one by one Jason, Zack, and Trini exited the Voyager, but Tommy stopped when he noticed that Kimberly was not following them.

"Kim, come on, let's go!" Tommy urged.

She didn't move, though. She couldn't. Tommy had said that he trusted her to lead this team; in her eyes, losing the Zords now would be like breaking that trust, the mere thought of which scared her beyond recognition.

"But our Zords will be destroyed. We have to try and save them, Tommy," Kimberly argued.

Tommy shook his head. "We have to save ourselves, Kim. Now either you move or I'll move you myself," he said firmly. When Kimberly didn't budge, Tommy grabbed her around the waist. "Fine, have it you way then."

Holding her tightly, he lifted her off of her feet and ran with her towards the escape hatch, leaping into the air just as the timers on the detonators struck zero.


	3. The Mistakes People Make

_**A/N 1: For reasons that will become obvious as the story progresses, I will most likely be bumping the rating of the story to Mature fairly soon. While this doesn't directly affect this particular chapter, it will definitely play a role in the chapters to come. Fair warning has been given.**_

_**A/N 2: This is just something I wanted to run by you guys. I've been mulling an idea in my head for a oneshot for a while now, and before I put the time and effort into writing it, I wanted to get your input on it. Obviously I'm not going to be too detailed, but would any of you be interested in reading a crossover between PR and Entourage? PM me and let me know, please.**_

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter 3 – The Mistakes People Make**_

_**Original Posting Date: October 12, 2008**_

--

That they had no business being alive was Tommy's first conscious thought as he plummeted towards the ground, his firm grip on Kimberly's waist never wavering. He'd seen the clock hit two seconds and knew that it had taken longer than that to make their escape from a Mega Voyager that currently should have been exploding, raining fiery debris down on them. What had happened, he didn't know, but something had most definitely gone wrong.

His legs buckled upon landing, causing him to finally let go of Kimberly, and with his forward momentum uncontrollable, he took them both down. They ended up in quite the precarious position; Tommy's hands on the ground keeping his upper body elevated was the only thing preventing him from laying completely on top of her.

"Hey," Kimberly murmured, her eyes twinkling under her helmet.

"Hey," Tommy groaned in reply. Gingerly, he pushed himself onto his feet and then struggled through helping Kimberly up as well. "Are you okay?"

Kimberly nodded. "I'm fine, just a few scratches."

Tommy sighed, thankful that she was okay but angry that she had put them in this position in the first place. Again, he was somewhere caught in between hugging her and yelling at her. He knew the latter would do no good though, not when Ecliptor was still around anyway.

"You guys alright?" asked Jason as he, Zack, and Trini ran over to them.

"Fine," Tommy muttered, dusting himself off. "Let's just get back in there and take care of Ecliptor."

With hands on his hips, Jason shook his head. "I hate to burst your bubble, bro, but he already took off."

Confused, Tommy looked to where he'd last seen Ecliptor only to find that he was no longer there. "They planned this whole thing," he said incredulously, reasoning that Ecliptor must have left shortly before the detonators were set to go off. "I can't believe they all found a way to work together that well."

"Yeah, well, believe it 'cause we got lucky when we shouldn't have," Zack replied, his heart pounding against his chest. "If those detonators had actually worked like they were supposed to we'd all be toast right now."

"Quit being so dramatic, Zack," said Trini teasingly.

Zack scoffed and threw his arms up in the air. "That's easy for you to say when you didn't land right next to a Megazord leg armed with enough explosives to make it so no one could identify my body at the morgue."

Trini rolled her eyes. "I landed like three feet away from you. The explosion would have done the exact same thing to me, too."

"It's irrelevant," Tommy interjected, stopping any potential argument before it had a chance to get heated. "What matters now is that we're all alive and the Zords are okay. Let's just get back to the ship."

"What about the detonators?" Kimberly asked, pointing in the direction of the Mega Voyager.

Tommy shrugged. "You can try and take them off if you want to, but I'm not touching those things. If you want my opinion, send the Zords somewhere where Alpha can take a look at them without risking any more damage to the city."

As she brought her wrist to her lips and sent the signal to Alpha on the _Shadow Rider_, Kimberly couldn't help but feel like this entire situation was all her fault. She hadn't intended for them to nearly die, she'd simply frozen up, something she was telling herself over and over that Tommy and Jason would never do.

"Alpha, it's Kim, come in," she said, waiting for Alpha's reply to continue. "Someone planted explosives on the Mega Voyager's legs. They seem to be duds, but we don't want to risk trying to remove them. Can you teleport them somewhere other than the ship and run a scan to see if the detonators are safe to take off?"

"_Detonators? Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi, that Divatox really fries my circuits," _Alpha replied. _"Teleporting Zords now; once you have returned to the ship, I'll come down to Earth and take a look at them personally, but I'll need at least one of you to stay behind and help me."_

"I'll do it," Kimberly volunteered before any one else could. After what had just happened, she really didn't feel up to dealing with a group of teammates who she believed had to be beyond disappointed in her. "You guys go back to the ship and I'll meet you there when Alpha and I are done looking at the Zords."

No one argued or offered to lend an extra hand, they just nodded and teleported away which made Kimberly feel even worse than she already did. She watched their teleportation beams shoot into the sky, her focus remaining on them until they had disappeared completely. Only when they were no longer in sight did she allow a single tear to slide down each cheek.

As soon as the Rangers arrived in the control room Tommy made a beeline for the nearest exit, walking swiftly with his fists clenched. Jason immediately tried to follow, but Zack and Trini both held him back.

"He thought Kim was going to die, Jase," said Trini softly, her hand on Jason's chest. "Leave him be for a little while. I know what he's going through. When he needs someone to talk to, he knows where to look."

Swallowing hard, Jason nodded. Out in the hallway Tommy continued his pace, his anger growing with each passing second until it simply became too much. He let out a ferocious roar and drove his fist into the nearest wall, denting it while ignoring the searing pain in his hand.

Trying to calm himself down, he closed his eyes and started to slow his breathing down, but all he could see were images of a potential death in the Mega Voyager's cockpit playing vividly in his mind. The more he tried to shed his temper, though, the more he was subjected to watching the Voyager explode with him and Kimberly still inside which did nothing but make his anger burn hotter.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he unleashed a vicious array of punches into the wall, his face turning a bright shade of red as droplets of sweat began to form on his brow. Over and over again he hit the wall; when both hands started to feel like they would fall off if he threw another punch, he kept going.

Eventually, breathing became too difficult and he was forced to stop. He placed his palms on the wall and hung his head, closing his eyes while taking many slow, deep breaths. With his racing heart returning to a normal speed, he opened his eyes and looked at his hands, scratched and stained with blood both wet and dry.

Tears flooded his eyes as he staggered back into the opposite wall, sliding down it until he reached the base. He pulled his legs into his chest, buried his head in between them, and started to cry, shaking with his sobs.

All he could think about for the longest time as he cried against his arms was that Kimberly could have died, should have died, and would have died had the detonators not malfunctioned. He didn't care that he had been in the cockpit with her; in his heart he knew that he would have gladly given his life without hesitation to save hers.

"I love her," he murmured, unaware that Jason was standing just feet away.

"No shit, bro," said Jason, chuckling at the surprised look on Tommy's face. "I swear I haven't been here more than a few seconds. I was just going to check out the cafeteria and you were there and I just—"

"It's okay, Jase," Tommy interjected, cutting him off. "It's not like you've never seen me like this before."

"This is true. What happened to your hands?" asked Jason upon noticing Tommy's knuckles dried with blood. Tommy pointed across from him and Jason turned to see the massively dented wall stained a dark shade of crimson. "Damn, bro, you really did a number on that wall."

Half-chuckling, Tommy nodded. "It was the first thing I could find to hit that wouldn't hit back. I'm really starting to regret it though," he answered, wincing as he tried to bend his fingers.

"You'll be fine in a couple hours or so," Jason replied, referring to the Power's increased effect on one's healing ability. "Mind if I have a seat?"

Tommy shrugged which Jason took as confirmation to have a seat. "You're not gonna lecture me about how you and everyone else know I still love her and think I should give her a second chance, are you? 'Cause if you are, I've already heard it before and I don't really think you can drive the point home more than Katherine did when she said it."

"Kat said that?" asked Jason.

"Yup," Tommy nodded, "Right before she broke up with me."

"Ouch," Jason murmured, wincing as his attention was suddenly captured by something nearby.

He was certain that Tommy had not seen it, but out of the corner of his eye Jason noticed the faintest hint of pink light from around the hallway. His focus was back on Tommy long before the Red Ranger had time to figure out what had happened. For a moment, Jason considered trying to move the conversation, but Tommy was already talking and once he stopped it was damn near impossible to get him to start again.

"_Maybe it'll do them some good for her to hear how he really feels,"_ Jason reasoned silently.

Closing his eyes once more, Tommy sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "You know what really sucks the most, bro?" he asked, Jason shaking his head. "Loving someone so much it hurts while knowing that you can't be with the person you love."

"Don't take this the wrong way, T," said Jason, "but the only thing stopping you from being happy with Kim is yourself."

Scoffing, Tommy rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple, Jase," he replied. "I wish it was, but it's not. Of all the Rangers, you know more than anyone how much she hurt me. I can't just overlook it; I won't."

Jason furrowed his brow as he stared at Tommy. "You do realize that that statement did nothing except confirm what I just said no less than ten seconds ago, right?"

Tommy looked none too amused with his friend. "We were together for almost three years and I can look back on that time and say without a doubt that those were the best damn three years of my entire life. Even when I thought I had gotten over her, that I could finally move on and be happy with Katherine, Kim was always there. I've never stopped loving her, but sometimes love just isn't enough, man."

"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now, bro?" asked Jason in disbelief. "There isn't a guy on this planet who wouldn't want to have a girl like Kim interested in them. She's smart, she's witty, she's pretty, and she has a great sense of humor. Ninety-percent of the male population at Angel Grove had their eyes on her, and the only guy she ever looked at was you."

Tommy looked at his friend in shock, his mouth agape as Jason continued.

"You always like to fall back on how long you guys were together, so I'm gonna be like you and do the same exact thing. You guys were together for three years, and in those three years she made one—let me say that again—_one _mistake, and she's been paying the price for that mistake for the last two years of her life. Now I want you to think back on when you two were together and tell me how many mistakes _you_ made. Think of all the dates you were late for, or all the times she caught you staring at Lisa Phillips' ass, or that time you fell asleep during that gymnastics meet—"

"Alright, alright," said Tommy, waving his hands in defeat, "I get it already."

Jason sighed. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad, bro. I just want you to try and see things from Kim's perspective. She might have made one big mistake, but she also put up with a lot of your little ones for a really long time. Kat was right, you know; we all know you love Kim. You're just too damn stubborn to see passed the walls you've built up around yourself."

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be my best friend you're not doing a very good job," said Tommy, trying to shake off the seriousness of his words with a laugh.

"Sometimes tough love is the best love, bro," Jason replied, pushing himself onto his feet. "Before I leave you to your brooding, I just want to say one more thing. Kim loves you, a lot, but she won't wait forever. If you love her even half as much as we all think you do, you won't let her get away."

Turning on his heels, he headed for where he'd seen the pink light. Tommy watched on as Jason disappeared around the corner, completely oblivious to the fact that his friend was now slowly leading a sobbing Kimberly towards the cafeteria. At the entrance to the room, they stopped and Jason turned to face her.

"This isn't such a bad thing, you know," Jason said softly, pulling Kimberly against his side in a half hug that was very much sibling-like.

"How do you figure?" asked Kimberly, resting her head against Jason's shoulder.

"We both know that Tommy's a creature of habit. He's got his comfort zone and ninety-nine percent of the time he won't go out of it," Jason answered, Kimberly nodding knowingly. "But every once in a great while, something comes along and forces him to step outside that comfort zone. If memory serves me correct, you were that last something to come along. Plus, he already admitted to me that he loved you, which means it's only a matter of time before he says it to you, just like last time."

Those last few words were enough to get Kimberly to step out of Jason's embrace and look up at him with an expression that demanded answers. Jason actually bit down on his finger in disbelief when he realized what he'd said.

"What do you mean, just like last time?" asked Kimberly sternly, hands firmly planted on her hips.

Jason silently cursed himself, knowing that there was no way for him to escape this current predicament. He had tried to lie to Kimberly on many occasions throughout their fourteen year friendship and he'd failed miserably every single time. There was just something about her that made it impossible for anyone with half a conscience to be anything but truthful to her.

Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "When did Tommy first tell you that he loved you?"

Kimberly didn't even have to think about it. "Right after you guys went to Switzerland. We were in my backyard, looking up at the stars on my old trampoline."

"Yeah, see, he might have told me he that he was in love with you after his little White Ranger surprise party," said Jason, wincing in preparation for the outburst he knew was about to come.

"Really?" asked Kimberly calmly.

Jason opened his eyes hesitantly, still waiting for her to explode. Oddly enough, though, and to the surprise of Jason she didn't. "You don't sound pissed off," Jason muttered incredulously. "You're supposed to sound pissed off."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to _get_ pissed off, Jason?"

Raising a thoughtful eyebrow, Jason shook his head. "No, I, uh, I just thought you would—"

"What exactly did he say to you that day?" questioned Kimberly, pointing a stern finger at her friend. "And don't tell me you don't remember because you still remember exactly what you said to me in kindergarten when Bulk pushed me down in the sandbox and called me a poop head."

Jason couldn't help but laugh. "I said, 'Hi poop head, my name's Jason. Wanna be my friend?' and then you said," he started, his mouth snapping shut when he realized he'd just made Kimberly's point for her, "Damn you and your mind tricks, woman."

"Spit it out," Kimberly demanded.

Jason rolled his eyes and for a moment looked like he might actually throw a fit to save himself, but instead he sighed in defeat. "We were walking to school the day after he came back as the White Ranger. It came out of the blue and his exact words were, and I quote, 'I think I love Kim, bro; way scary,' then I said 'you're the fourth person to tell me that you love Kim,' and after that not another word was said."

"Swear on our friendship?" asked Kimberly, extending her pinky.

"On our friendship," Jason replied, pinky promising. "Now can we _please_ get some food? I haven't eaten anything in well over a day."

Rolling her eyes, Kimberly nodded and pointed towards the door. Jason smiled thankfully and held it open for her, following her into a room that was not what he was expecting at all. With two tables each big enough to seat four and a tall silver machine against the back wall, it was hardly the cafeteria Jason had envisioned.

"Where do we get the food?" asked Jason, looking around just in case he was missing something.

"Right there," Kimberly answered, pointing to the machine.

Jason looked at the contraption and scoffed. "You're joking, right?"

Kimberly shook her head. "Nope, that thing will make you anything you want. Just walk up to it, press the button, say what you want to eat, and it'll pop out at the bottom."

Jason didn't know what to think. He was somewhere in between a kid in a candy store and a four year-old trying to do multiplication problems. It was as confusing as it was absolutely incredible and his face gleamed with delight as he approached the machine.

"So you're telling me that if I press this red button," Jason started, pressing the button, "and say 'I want a double chili cheeseburger with beer-battered onion rings, and a chocolate-strawberry milkshake made with the finest Belgian chocolate and fresh California strawberries,' I'll get a—"

He was cut off as a voice robotic and monotone started to repeat his order. Three seconds later there was a loud ding and Jason looked down at the opening on the machine to find everything he had ordered, neatly prepared on a tray with plenty of napkins and all the necessary utensils.

"I feel like I could cry right now," said Jason. Slowly removing the tray, he turned around and stared at Kimberly in disbelief. "This is easily the most amazingly awesome thing I have ever seen in my entire life."

"I know," Kimberly replied with a nod. "Having good food to eat is one of the only things that helped keep me going before you guys showed up. I'll have a chicken Caesar salad, a grilled cheese with Swiss and mozzarella on sourdough, and a Sprite."

And sure enough, her meal popped out just as Jason's had. Even as they moved to sit at one of the tables, he still hadn't fully grasped the sheer incredibleness of the Meal Machine, a device that the Aquitians had created to sustain their strict diets when away from the waters of their home world.

"Do you think Tommy's going to be mad at me for freezing up like that in the Mega Voyager earlier?" asked Kimberly as she set her tray on the table and took her seat on the bench across from Jason.

Biting into an onion ring, Jason shook his head. "Honestly, I just think he's glad you're both still alive. We all make mistakes out there every now and again. None of us are perfect and none of us have the time or energy to waste worrying about other people's mistakes. Tommy knows that just as much as any of us."

"If Tommy was willing to forgive me so easily he and I wouldn't be in the position we're in," Kimberly replied defiantly.

Truth be told, Jason couldn't find a logical way to argue with that and he could argue just about anything until he was blue in the face. He dropped his fork in mid-lift, staring back at Kimberly as it clanged against his plate.

"Look, Kim, you need to stop worrying about winning Tommy's trust on the battlefield, because you already have it and it's not going anywhere," said Jason, Kimberly's eyes rolling in apparent disagreement. "You can roll your eyes all you want, but I'm telling you the truth. The thing you need to worry about more than anything is winning Tommy's trust not in battle, but in life."

"And just how do you recommend I go about doing this?" asked Kimberly, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hang out with him, Kim. You guys haven't seen each other in a long time, so get to know him again," Jason answered, smiling encouragingly which Kimberly greatly appreciated. "If we can travel back and forth to Earth freely, what's stopping you guys from hitting the Youth Center or going to see a movie? Heck, he might even still be willing to carry your bags at the mall if you ask extra nicely."

Kimberly shook her head. "I don't want him to carry my bags, Jase. I just want him to know that I truly do love him. Even if we never become more than just friends, as long as he's happy that's all I really care about."

"Let me tell you something, short stack; I've seen Tommy at his highest of highs and his lowest of lows and he has _never_ been happier than when he was with you," Jason replied. "But he needs to be reminded of that and only you can do it. Just hearing something has never been enough to change Tommy's mind; he's stubborn like that. You have to show him and knowing Tommy, you're going to have to do it more than just once."

Sighing deeply, Kimberly poked and prodded at her salad absently. "The chicken isn't going to get any deader, you know," Jason continued, smirking.

"Do you think he'd even want to hang out with me?" asked Kimberly, ignoring Jason's attempt at a joke.

With a mouthful of chili cheeseburger, Jason nodded and swallowed. "He said he wanted to be friends, right? Friends hang out all the time. You just have to be patient and know that, eventually, Tommy _will_ come around."

Nodding silently, Kimberly rose from her seat and carried her tray of half-eaten food back to the machine. She set it in the opening and watched as it disappeared in a small flash of light then started for the exit.

"Where are you going?" asked Jason, nowhere near done with his first meal in well over twenty-four hours.

"I've had five hundred dollars in my wallet since I left New York, we have at least five more hours until we reach Onyx, and I just found out that we can pretty much go back and forth to Earth any time we want to," Kimberly answered, smiling wickedly. "I think you already know where I'm going."

Jason laughed. "Are you going to see if Tommy wants to go?"

Kimberly didn't answer; she merely winked at Jason, still smiling as she exited the cafeteria in search of the Red Ranger. It seemed that Tommy, however, was not a very easy person to hunt down. In a span of fifteen minutes Kimberly had checked almost every room on the _Shadow Rider_ and still hadn't found him.

"DECA, can you locate Tommy for me?" asked Kimberly, exasperated as she stood in the middle of another empty hallway.

"_Of course, Kimberly; locating Tommy now," _DECA replied, returning a few moments later. _"It appears that Tommy is on the observation deck. Would you like me to inform him that you are looking for him?"_

"No, but thanks anyway," Kimberly answered, turning for the lift that would take her to the observation deck. "That'll be all, DECA."

She found Tommy a few minutes later, just where DECA said he would be. A metal railing ran underneath the windows and Tommy leaned his elbows upon it, staring out into the seemingly never ending emptiness of space.

"Hey," she said softly, wary not to startle him. She had to laugh when Tommy nearly jumped out of his shoes in surprise despite the quietness of her greeting. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

At the realization that it was just Kimberly, Tommy sighed and smiled, beckoning for her with a wave of his hand. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," he said with a chuckle, Kimberly smiling apologetically. "So what brings you to these parts?"

"These parts?" asked Kimberly with a raised eyebrow. "What is this, the Wild West?"

Tommy laughed, shrugging. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Kimberly answered, joining Tommy in looking at the stars. She noticed that his knuckles were wrapped heavily in white gauze. "What happened to your hands? That's not from fighting Goldar, is it?"

Embarrassed, Tommy shook his head. "I may have ripped into a wall."

Kimberly furrowed her brow. "Why would you do that?"

Tommy sighed, wincing inwardly. He couldn't tell her that he had beaten his hands to a pulp because of her, because seeing her nearly die scared him to the point that his anger superseded his fear.

"Seeing Goldar brought out a lot of pent up frustration," Tommy replied, his answer partially truthful, "but he disappeared with Rito before I got a chance to take that frustration out on him so I took it out on a wall instead."

Kimberly knew that he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she wasn't going to try and push him into talking about something he didn't want to. "That's not one of the smarter things I've seen from you," she said with a smile, Tommy nodding in agreement. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened on the Mega Voyager earlier. I just…I froze up."

Standing straight, Tommy hesitantly put his arm around Kimberly's shoulder, pulling her against his side for a quick half-hug. "It's okay, Kim," he answered seriously. "To be honest, I'm just glad that we're still alive. For a second there, I thought we were both goners."

"You wouldn't have thought that if I hadn't acted like a complete idiot," said Kimberly, hanging and shaking her head apologetically.

"Hey," said Tommy in an attempt to get her to look at him. When her eyes didn't move, he took it upon himself to lift her chin with his fingers. "I'm only going to say this once, okay? People don't become great leaders overnight. It's not an easy process, and it's one that takes some time. I know I wasn't the best leader when Zordon gave me the team, and I'm sure Jason wasn't in the beginning either, but we had trust of our teammates, and more importantly, the trust of ourselves to help us become the leaders Zordon knew we could be. You have the trust of your teammates, Kim; all of them. You just have to learn to trust yourself."

For a few long moments, Kimberly said nothing. The look in Tommy's eyes told her that he was being completely honest, which deep down she couldn't understand. She didn't know why it was that Tommy, or any of the other Rangers for that matter, trusted her to lead the team.

Her actions on the Mega Voyager should have destroyed their faith in her, but instead they were still being amazingly supportive. It didn't make an ounce of sense to her, but the positive effects that it had on her dampened spirit was undeniable.

"Thank you, Tommy," she murmured, looking at him with the utmost seriousness. "I don't know why you still think I can do this, but I promise I'm going to do my best to make sure your trust is in the right place."

Tommy shook his head. "Kim, you don't have to prove anything to me. I already know that my trust is in the right place. Don't do your best for me, or the other Rangers, do your best for you, because that's the type of person you are, and I know you won't settle for being anything less than the absolute best if you really put your mind to it."

Kimberly smiled brightly, and inside she shined even brighter. Somehow, Tommy always knew exactly what needed to be said to make her feel better. Even if he didn't really mean it, which Kimberly seriously doubted, hearing it still helped more than words could say.

"So, this might be a long shot and you totally don't have to if you don't want to, but I'm gonna go hit the mall and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me," said Kimberly, hopeful that he would agree.

"I don't think so, Kim," Tommy answered, shaking his head. "And it's not because I don't want to hang out with you, I just really hate the mall with a passion. There are too many people and it makes me feel all claustrophobic and stuff."

Trying to hide her disappointment, Kimberly managed a small smile and nodded in understanding. "Hey, no biggie, we'll hang out some other time."

"Definitely," said Tommy, returning the smile. "Besides, I've seen the way you shop and I'd only be holding you back."

"Oh, whatever," Kimberly groaned, rolling her eyes as she smacked his arm teasingly. "I'll see you later, Tommy."

Tommy nodded and turned back to the window, listening intently to the pitter-patter of Kimberly's feet growing further and further away. Staring out at the stars, he was surprised to find that he started to miss her more with each passing step she took. Even if they weren't a couple, Tommy couldn't deny that he enjoyed spending time with her.

Sighing, he spun on his heels and headed for the door. He stepped out into the hallway and looked to his left just in time to see Kimberly reach a fork in the path.

"Hey, Kim!" he called out, jogging towards her, "Wait up!'

--

The floating space station known as the Dark Fortress was a dark place indeed, made even darker by the latest failed attempt at destroying the Rangers. With the fortress growing closer to the planet Onyx, Astronema paced back and forth angrily as the remaining members of the United Alliance of Evil waited for Hell to rain down upon them.

Fire burned in Astronema's eyes as she looked at each of them individually. The Machine Empire and Master Vile had played no role in this latest failure, and so they would be spared she decided, as would Rita and Zedd whose generals had done their jobs well enough. In the end, it always seemed to come down to…

"Divatox," said Astronema, glaring angrily at the space pirate. "Your generals were given a very simple task. Unless you can somehow find a way to explain to me why they failed to eliminate the Rangers, I see no reason why I shouldn't destroy you all right now."

Divatox sputtered as she tried to think of something, anything that she could say to Astronema that might spare her life. But there was nothing, no explanation for why the detonators had failed to do their job and blow the Mega Voyager sky high.

A furious Astronema suddenly reached out, snatched Lord Zedd's staff right from his hand, and pointed it at Divatox. Zedd attempted to retrieve his staff, but stopped and returned to his seat when Ecliptor moved to stand behind his queen defensively, daring Zedd to try something.

"You have failed myself and this alliance for the last time, Divatox, and now the time has come for you to pay for those failures," Astronema continued, electricity crackling from the shaft of Zedd's staff as it flowed to the tip.

"Put down your weapon, Astronema!" said a loud, rumbling voice.

A fear far greater than anything Astronema could ever dream of eliciting instantly settled over the room's occupants. Only Divatox breathed relief, her life spared for the time being. Even Astronema's eyes went wide with shock as she looked to where the voice had come from. A portion of one of the nearby walls had transformed into a video screen of sorts, revealing a large being on a backdrop of solid black.

"Dark Specter," murmured Astronema, bowing her head humbly. "To what do we owe this unexpected, but most welcomed visit?"

"The Rangers know that you are taking Zordon to Onyx," Dark Specter growled, his eyes a fiery shade of red.

Astronema seemed confused. "But that's impossible. The Dark Fortress is completely shielded to all tracking systems. There's no way they could know where we're going."

"Are you calling me a liar, Astronema?" asked Dark Specter.

Shaking her head, Astronema stammered, "No, no, of course not. I would never do that to you, Dark Specter. I was just merely saying that—"

"I do not care what you were saying. For two months I have listened to this pathetic group spew excuses for failing to kill the Pink Ranger and now there are five to deal with as a result," Dark Specter interjected angrily. "From this moment forward, the United Alliance of Evil is mine to control. You will all go where I tell you and do what I tell you. Is that understood?"

The seven evil leaders, their generals, and every single foot soldier in the room all nodded in fearful agreement.

"Good, now let us turn our attention elsewhere for a moment" Dark Specter continued, looking towards Divatox. Everyone seemed to follow Dark Specter, turning their eyes to the space pirate whose expression confirmed that she knew her time was up. "More so than anyone else Divatox, you have failed this alliance. As of right now, you are no longer welcome in my Dark Fortress. Instead, take your ship and make sure the Rangers never find Zordon. If you fail again, I suggest going into hiding. Now get out of my sight before I let Astronema destroy you."

Divatox did not hesitate to take flight, dragging Elgar and Rygog behind her as the Piranhatrons hurried to catch up with them. Once they were gone, Dark Specter returned his attention to the remaining members of the group.

"If Divatox is left to her own devices, Zordon will be lost. Astronema, until further notice you will be responsible for keeping the Rangers busy on Earth, and as far away from Zordon as possible. The generals and armies of Zedd, Rita, and the Machine Empire are yours to use as you please," said Dark Specter. While her colleagues stared at Dark Specter's image in utter disbelief, Astronema nodded her understanding. "It will still take some time until enough of his essence has been drained to restore me to my full power. See to it that the Rangers never get anywhere near Zordon."

"What of us, Dark Specter?" asked Lord Zedd lowly. "We have served you faithfully for months. I believe our loyalty has been proven."

Dark Specter nodded. "And you will be rewarded for that, as will all of you who have pledged your allegiance to me and this alliance. But for now, you must stand down to my orders. If Astronema further requires help from any of you then the responsibility to ask for it is hers. See to it that you do not fail me again for the price to pay should you do so will be a permanent one."

The screen suddenly went black and then Dark Specter was gone. With the disappearance of the presence that had been unwanted from the start, Astronema breathed a sigh of relief along with everyone else who remained in the room.

"So let me get this straight," Rito interjected, scratching his head to the ire of every other person there. "Either we kill the Rangers, or Dark Specter kills us? Wow, major bummer."

"Silence you blithering idiot," Zedd roared, his skin glowing red with anger. "I don't want to hear another word out of you until the Rangers have been destroyed."

Rito looked at Zedd apologetically. "Sorry, Ed," he muttered.

"For the last time you fool, it's Zedd; LORD ZEDD! Now go!"

Seated next to her husband, Rita shook her head as Rito scampered for the exit with the Tenga Warriors in tow. "Ugh, I have such a headache."

--

Shoulder to shoulder Tommy and Kimberly, the latter of whom had half a dozen bags and had refused Tommy's offer to help her carry them, walked out of the Mall of America in Minnesota a few hours later, joking and laughing with each other as though they hadn't spent the last two years apart from one another.

Hard as he tried to fight it, Tommy could not deny that spending time with Kimberly was something that he enjoyed doing immensely. He had walked through store after store he had no interest in without complaint for nearly three hours, simply following Kimberly around wherever she went because it was so damn easy to do so.

It didn't even seem like it had been that long as they stepped out into the sunlight. Kimberly stopped and set her bags down; reaching into one, she pulled out a slim black case and handed it to Tommy.

"What's this?" he asked, taking the case with a confused expression on his face.

"The sunglasses you were staring at earlier," she replied, smiling. "Remember when I left you in Bath & Body Works to go to the bathroom?"

"You didn't," Tommy murmured in disbelief, opening the case to find the exact glasses he'd been looking at. "Kim, I don't know what to say. Thank you."

He pulled her into a big hug that Kimberly relished long after Tommy had let go of his hold on her small frame. "You're welcome," Kimberly replied, beaming. "Now, how about you treat me to a frozen yogurt before we go back to the ship?"

In the midst of putting on his new glasses, Tommy's smile faltered. "Would you believe me if I told you Dimitria teleported me in the middle of the night and that my wallet's sitting on the night stand in my bedroom?"

"I'd believe you," Kimberly answered, a twinkle in her eyes. "Then I'd ask what's stopping you from teleporting home and getting it?"

Tommy chuckled. "And just what do you think Zordon would say if he caught me breaking his rules and abusing the Power like that?"

"He'd tell you that you made a wise decision in keeping me happy," Kimberly replied, Tommy shaking his head. "Now stop being such a spoil sport and go get your wallet. I'm hungry."

Rolling his eyes, Tommy grumbled something Kimberly couldn't make out and turned for the nearest place to hide. An adequate spot was hard to find considering how populated the mall was, though. In the end, he decided to duck into a Barnes & Noble, teleporting home from the book store's restrooms.

In the outside promenade area, Kimberly waited for Tommy to return with a sense of minor victory. She wasn't necessarily craving dessert, she'd just been testing Jason's theory that she could break Tommy's walls down. So far, Jason had been absolutely right about everything which seemed to be a constantly recurring trend when it came to the love life, or lack thereof, of his two closest friends.

When Tommy emerged from Barnes & Noble ten minutes later it was with a red backpack around his shoulders and his wallet in his back pocket. "Brought some things from home, I see," said Kimberly, shaking her head in faux disappointment as Tommy approached her. "My, my, what would Zordon say if he caught you breaking his rules and abusing the Power like that?"

Tommy waited until he was within whispering range before replying. "He'd tell you to keep your voice down and not mention him or the Power when there's thirty feet between us and hundreds of people all over the place that can hear you," he hissed, Kimberly covering her mouth with a look in her eyes so innocent that Tommy couldn't be mad at her. "Let's just go get the frozen yogurt, okay?"

Smirking, Kimberly nodded and picked up her bags, motioning for Tommy to lead the way. This being his first trip to the Mall of America, he had absolutely no clue as to what direction they were supposed to be going, but he wasn't about to let Kimberly know that.

As they started back towards the main entrance, Kimberly stopped which in turn caused Tommy to do the same. "You don't know where you're going, do you?" she asked, smirking.

"Of course I do," Tommy lied. "It's on the third floor by Nordstrom's."

Laughing, Kimberly shook her head. "Tommy, I want you to do something for me. Turn around, look at the sign about three stores back on my left, and tell me what it says."

"Joe's Frozen Treats," said Tommy, reading the sign verbatim. His eyes went wide and his mouth snapped shut when he realized what it was.

"Third floor by Nordstrom's?" asked Kimberly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Can't blame a guy for trying, right?" Tommy questioned in reply.

"No, I guess not," Kimberly conceded. "Come on and buy my yogurt."

Tommy rolled his eyes and followed Kimberly into the shop. A few minutes later they exited the store with desserts in hand and took a seat at one of the nearby tables. As Kimberly used a plastic spoon to pick at her waffle cone, filled to the brim with a swirl of chocolate and vanilla yogurts and topped with gummy bears, she looked across the table thoughtfully.

"So, tell me what you've been up to since we last saw each other," said Kimberly, spooning a bite of the creamy treat and raising it to her lips. "Are you going to school; working?"

"Working, if you can even call it that," Tommy answered with a laugh. "I'm still racing stock cars for my uncle, teaching karate classes on the side whenever I have the time, but no school. I decided to take a year off after graduation. I wanted to do go against the grain, do something for me for once, you know?"

Kimberly nodded. "Trust me, I do. It's like everyone has these expectations for you and what your life is supposed to be like, but _your_ life should be about you and doing the things that make _you _happy."

"Exactly," Tommy replied, taking a bite of his chocolate fudge ice cream. "My mom was so pissed off at me when I told her that I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to college or not. My dad went straight into the military after high school so he understood, but Mom didn't come around for at least a few months."

"What ended up changing her mind?" asked Kimberly, trying not to eye Tommy's ice cream. When they had been together she would have asked for a bite without hesitation, but it didn't seem appropriate to do so now.

"I basically said the same thing to her that you just said," said Tommy, wincing at those unpleasant memories. "I told her that I was happy with what I was doing, and that I really didn't want to surround myself with people who couldn't accept that. I don't think she started taking me seriously until after I skipped Thanksgiving dinner."

"I bet it must have been hard to say that to your mom, huh?" Kimberly questioned, staring at the double scoop of chocolate fudge.

Finally, Tommy noticed this and laughed. "Here," he said, scooping some of the desert onto his spoon, "take a bite."

Time and everything around them seemed to slow down remarkably as Tommy extended his spoon towards Kimberly who leaned across the table to take the bite. To anyone that might have been watching they would have appeared to be just another happy couple enjoying a pleasant afternoon together.

Tommy found himself staring at her mouth as she took the ice cream from his spoon without the use of her hands. Their eyes met, and for a moment Tommy gave serious consideration to replacing the utensil with his lips. He was literally seconds away from throwing caution to the wind and making his move when screams started to flood the promenade.

People were running panicked in every direction, and it did not take long for Tommy and Kimberly to see why as they noticed Goldar walking towards them with an army of Tenga Warriors following him.

"Great," said Kimberly, rolling her eyes in disgust because she had seen the look in Tommy's and knew how close she had been.

Standing up from the table, Tommy turned to his left and extended a hand towards Kimberly. "Care to dance?" he asked, smiling.

Grinning, Kimberly took his hand. "I'd love to."

Tommy pulled her onto her feet; letting her momentum carry her, Kimberly let go of Tommy's hand and started spinning towards the Tengas. She launched into a cartwheel and then pushed herself into a series of rapid back handsprings which ended when she drove her feet right into Goldar's chest mid-flip.

The golden-armored general was thrown flat on his back as Tommy flew threw the air with a spin kick that sent one of the Tengas slamming into three more. Upon landing in a defensive stance, he stood up straight and looked to Kimberly with his hand extended once more.

"Where were we?" asked Tommy, smiling as Kimberly took his hand.

They pulled passed each other, their grips remaining firm as both delivered simultaneous kicks to the stomachs of two Tengas that had been too far to reach just moments before. Giving her arm a tug, Tommy watched as Kimberly spun in front of him and slammed her fist into a Tenga's face, the bird's beak now crushed flat as a result.

"Mind if I cut in?" growled Goldar, breaking their hold on each other's hands with a swift kick.

Shaking the slight pain from her hand, Kimberly looked at Goldar with angry, narrowed eyes. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to show up somewhere uninvited?"

"Astronema's orders are the only invitation I need," Goldar replied, charging the pair.

Kimberly side-stepped the attack and, as Goldar stumbled by wildly, Tommy drove his knee into the winged Titan's chest. They were given little reprieve, though, for as soon as Goldar went down, the Tenga's were all over them.

"Time to split up," said Tommy.

"Yup," Kimberly agreed.

They started running in separate directions, each quickly approaching a matching concrete pillar that stretched from the bottom floor promenade all the way to the mall's fourth and final level. The group of Tengas split and gave chase; freezing at the base of the structures, they looked up and watched as Tommy and Kimberly ran up the pillars.

In unison the pair pushed off of the pillars and flipped backwards, passing each other by as they flew through the air. Tommy landed behind the Tengas that had been on the opposite side of the promenade before, taking the foursome down with a single leg sweep.

For her part, Kimberly ended up in front of the Tengas, grabbed the middle two by the arms, and flipped them onto their backs. She quickly took hold of the remaining two Tengas and pulled them in, the feathered foot soldiers slamming face first into each other before slumping to the ground in a heap.

Running back to the center of the promenade, Tommy and Kimberly stood side by side as they faced Goldar and dropped down into fighting stances. "Come on, Goldilocks," said Tommy tauntingly, pointing at Goldar. "I know you can do better than that."

"Foolish human!" bellowed Goldar, drawing his sword as he ran at Tommy.

The Red Ranger jumped back and managed to narrowly avoid the blow, the only victim being his red tee shirt which now had a diagonal slice through it. Tommy looked down at the tear in his shirt for the briefest of moments before returning his attention to Goldar, engaging the Titan in hand to hand combat.

They exchanged blows back and forth for a while, Kimberly watching in anticipation for an opening to jump in and help Tommy. It came when Goldar connected with a forearm to Tommy's chest, causing the Red Ranger to stumble back. From there Kimberly took it upon herself to flip over Tommy, driving the heel of her shoe right into Goldar's face.

Looking over her shoulder, she rushed to Tommy's side and helped him stand from his staggered, doubled over position. Once he'd gotten back on his feet, Goldar made like he was going to attack again, but apparently thought better of it.

"You will not be so lucky next time, Rangers!" Goldar roared. Raising his sword above his head, he slammed the tip into the ground and immediately became enveloped in a column of fiery energy before disappearing completely.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "You okay?"

Nursing his chest, Tommy managed to nod. "I'm fine," he answered, "How about you?"

"Just peachy," she replied with a smile. "Come on, let's grab our stuff and then get back to the ship. We have less than an hour before its set to reach Onyx and I don't want to be here when people start coming back."

Looking over his shoulder, Tommy noticed that little clusters of people who had stayed to see the fight were slowly beginning to return. With their desserts now melted beyond consumption, he quickly went to work on cleaning up their table while Kimberly gathered up her bags.

Once they had everything that they needed, Tommy grabbed hold of Kimberly's hand and pulled her along as they started to run from the promenade. Luckily they hadn't had to Morph so no one would know that they were Rangers, but neither wanted to stick around long enough for someone to start asking questions.

After nearly five minutes of running, they found the solitude they needed in the shadows of the empty loading docks behind Macy's. In silence, they teleported back to the control room of the _Shadow Rider_ in the midst of DECA telling the other Rangers that approach time to Onyx was approximately forty-five minutes.

"Tommy, what happened to you?" asked Trini, noticing the tear in his shirt.

"Goldar happened," answered Tommy, Trini's eyes growing wide. "Don't worry, Tri, I'm fine. All he got was my shirt."

Jason shook his head as he walked towards the pair. "Man, you've gotten to take on Goldar twice now. You have to let me get my hands on him next time, bro."

Laughing, Tommy nodded his head. "He's all yours, Jase. I'll take Rito or Elgar over that ugly monkey any day."

As the grayish-black sphere that was Onyx grew closer and closer, Kimberly started to plan in her mind what their first move would be upon arriving on the planet. While the rest of the Rangers chatted about what had happened at the mall, she moved to one of half a dozen control panels in the room, this particular panel displaying the current time on every major planet in the known universe.

"Guys," she called out to them, waiting until she had their attention before continuing. "It's just passed nine in the morning on Onyx. The sun comes out around one in the afternoon and it's only out for four, maybe five hours tops; we won't be able to see anything until then."

"So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" asked Zack, clearly confused.

Kimberly shrugged. "That's up to you," she answered. "Alpha will land the ship around the Sea of Shadows where no one will find it. You can go to Earth for a few hours or stay on the ship. I'm gonna go get some rest, and I'd highly recommend that you all do the same. You're going to need all the stamina you can muster where we're going."

--


	4. Lost and Found

_**A/N 1: Just a quick little side note here. For those of you interested in something a little more mature to read, I have posted a story called "When Worlds Collide," which unfortunately didn't show up in the New Stories section due to its Mature rating. Check it out, and if you do, please let me know what you think.**_

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter 4 – Lost and Found**_

_**Original Posting Date: October 20, 2008**_

--

For nearly twenty minutes Kimberly had been laying atop her bed, hands folded behind her head as she stared up at the white ceiling in silence. She'd adjusted her body's position countless times in an attempt to fall asleep, but the nap she was in search of, it seemed, had no intentions of being found at this time.

Her mind was plagued with flashbacks of she and Tommy at the mall and the kiss they had almost shared. If she closed her eyes she could taste his lips on hers, fresh as though it had only been two minutes since their last kiss instead of two years. Thinking about the almost-kiss, she couldn't help but to wonder what Tommy was going through.

There had been no intentional seduction on her part, only the inexplicable draw of a chemistry she knew would never die. As long as she lived, Kimberly firmly believed that she would forever be attracted to Tommy, which made her question if that was the real reason why he had nearly kissed her earlier.

What if it had merely been physical attraction that had led to their interrupted moment in the mall's promenade? Had the kiss occurred to fruition, certain was she that her involvement would have been driven by more than just Tommy's good looks and boyish charm. If there was one thing in her life she was positive of it was that she loved Tommy, but as she had both seen and experienced, a kiss did not always equate to a mutual act of love.

She told herself that she was being stupid, that Tommy was too nice of a guy to ever do something like that, but a small part of her still questioned his motives. Call it women's intuition, but she was certain that Tommy was no longer the innocent boy she'd left behind back home in Angel Grove. She could only hope that the almost kiss had not been Tommy's attempt at a prelude to something more.

No matter how much she loved him, she would not and could not allow herself to become another notch on some guy's belt of conquests. It had happened once before, albeit not with Tommy of course, and she had staunchly refused to let it happen again ever since.

As she continued to try and suppress those feelings, it only made her wonder more as to what Tommy was actually looking for from her. Not six hours earlier she'd heard him say to Jason that he loved her but couldn't be with her. Certainly his feelings could not have changed so drastically over such a short period of time, could they have?

She had to know the truth, but at the same time she wasn't quite sure how one went about gathering such personal information. She couldn't just go hunt Tommy down and say, "Hey, do you actually care about me or were you just trying to get in my panties?" No, that she could definitely not do.

Surprising as it was, her sensible side was actually telling her emotions to sit down and shut the hell up for once. Whatever she decided to do, she knew that she couldn't be anywhere near the realm of accusative or distrusting towards Tommy. If anyone deserved the right to be that way, it was he towards her.

Finally deciding that sleep would not be coming any time soon, she let out a sigh and rose from her bed. She crossed the room and came to a stop in front of her closet; sliding the door open, she pushed around through her clothes until she found her old acoustic guitar leaning up against the wall.

"Gotcha," she said with a triumphant smile, extracting the stringed instrument from her closet.

Carrying her guitar back towards her bed, she grabbed her journal and a pen from her night stand before climbing onto the bed. She used pillows to rest her back on as she sat against the wall and started to pick at the guitar, listening closely as she tuned the instrument she had not touched in over a month.

For the first few weeks on the _Shadow Rider_, her guitar had been her greatest release. Between her many long interplanetary journeys, she'd penned numerous songs, but music had long ago ceased to be the calming reprieve it had once been. She'd always enjoyed playing guitar and writing songs because she'd always had someone to share them with, but alone aside from Alpha, it had lost its luster.

Having not touched the guitar in so long, it took her quite awhile to get it tuned properly. When she'd been playing regularly, tuning her guitar was something that she could do in no time whatsoever; now she was just thankful that she remembered how to do it at all.

She began to play a few practice chords, surprised at how easily it all seemed to come right back to her. It didn't take long for Kimberly to really get into it, pouring her heart and soul into the instrument she'd loved for as long as she could remember, smiling brightly as she closed her eyes and looked back to the day she'd gotten her first guitar.

It was Christmas morning in 1985 and she'd been begging her parents for a guitar for nearly five months, ever since the first time she'd seen the music video for the Joan Jett song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," on MTV. And while she hadn't exactly turned out like the woman who had first inspired her to pick up a guitar, the instrument was still a big part of Kimberly's life both then and now.

Time was lost as she reintroduced herself to the long lost friend that was her guitar, picking at the strings as she wrote potential lyrics in her journal. It could have been just minutes or it could have been hours; she didn't know and she honestly didn't care. Just picking up the guitar and playing a few chords had been more than enough to completely take her mind off of Tommy, and their kiss that never was.

Unbeknownst to either of them until minutes earlier, though, was that Tommy had chosen the bedroom right next to Kimberly's. In fact, their beds rested on opposite sides of the same shared wall, so as Tommy flopped on his bed after a light sparring session with Jason he could vividly hear the sounds of Kimberly strumming her guitar, singing with a voice so beautiful that it was simply impossible to ignore.

For as long as Tommy had known Kimberly, he'd always loved it when he could just sit back and listen to his heart's content as she played song after song for him; and though much had changed between them since those days, he was glad to discover that some thing's really never changed at all.

Sitting with his back to the wall, Tommy leaned his head against the barrier, closed his eyes, and listened to her play. Tumultuous as his emotions were at the moment there was a certain sense of serenity, a calming of his heart that came with listening to Kimberly sing with every ounce of energy her petite frame could muster.

_Oh, life…is bigger  
It's bigger than you  
And you are not me  
The lengths that I will go to  
The distance in your eyes  
Oh no I've said too much  
I set it up_

_That's me in the corner  
That's me in the spotlight  
Losing my religion  
Trying to keep up with you  
And I don't know if I can do it  
Oh no I've said too much  
I haven't said enough  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try…_

Tommy listened intently, absorbing each and every flowing word as they reached his ears. He closed his eyes and fell in love with the melody, subconsciously tapping his fingers on the side of his leg to the rhythm Kimberly had created.

_Every whisper  
Of every waking hour, I'm  
Choosing my confessions  
Trying to keep an eye on you  
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool; fool  
Oh no I've said too much  
I set it up_

It didn't take long for Kimberly's lyrics to have an effect on Tommy far more profound then just casual enjoyment. With each word that escaped her lips he became more and more certain that it was himself she sang about.

_Consider this, consider this  
The hint of the century  
Consider this  
The slip that brought me  
To my knees failed  
What if all these fantasies  
Come flailing around  
Now I've said too much  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try_

"The hint of the century," Tommy murmured to himself, shaking his head as piece by piece it all started to make sense.

_But that was just a dream  
That was just a dream…_

_That's me in the corner  
That's me in the spotlight  
Losing my religion  
Trying to keep up with you  
And I don't know if I can do it  
Oh no I've said too much  
I haven't said enough  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try_

_But that was just a dream  
Try, cry, why, try  
That was just a dream, just a dream  
Just a dream, a dream_

Kimberly jumped in surprise when she heard a knock at her door. Furrowing her brow, she set the guitar down next to her bed and hopped up to answer it. She opened the door to find Tommy staring right at her, intent evident in his eyes.

"Hey, Tommy, what's—"

Her mouth was covered by Tommy's before she could get another word out. As he kissed her he slinked his arm around her waist and lifted her off of her feet, moving her forward so he could kick the door closed behind him.

She melted into his arms, eagerly returning the kiss even though her head was telling her to stop before things got out of hand. She wanted to stop; she really, truly wanted to stop, but she just couldn't do it. This moment had been a mere dream for the longest time, and now that it was happening she didn't want it to end.

But it did.

Tommy broke the kiss and let Kimberly go, smiling as she raised her fingers to her lips and touched them. "What was that for?" she asked, unable to meet his eyes.

He didn't immediately answer, though. Instead, Tommy took her hand and gently placed it over his heart. Biting down on her lip, Kimberly forced herself to look up at him as he gazed into her doe brown eyes.

"Do you want it?" Tommy questioned.

Kimberly's eyes went wide in shock. "Tommy, I—"

"Do you want it?" he repeated, staring at her intently.

Swallowing hard, Kimberly nodded. "Yes, Tommy, I do," she answered honestly, "But that's never been a question. The question is whether or not you trust me with it. Do you trust me with your heart, Tommy?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Kim, because the truth is that trying this again scares the living daylights out of me," said Tommy, touching the side of her face gently. "But it's been just over twenty-four hours since you came back into my life and I haven't once stopped thinking about you. I'm tired of fighting my heart."

Kimberly felt her face get warm and knew that she was blushing. "That doesn't really answer my question, does it?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if you wanted it if I didn't trust you with it," Tommy replied with a serious expression upon his face. "It's yours if you want it, Kim; on one condition, that is."

"And what would that be?" asked Kimberly, arms folded across her chest.

Tommy grinned. "You have to promise me that you will never write me another letter again as long we're together."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Kimberly nodded and found herself being pulled into Tommy's arms. She rested the side of her head against his chest, letting out a content sigh as she felt a sudden pressure on her shoulder. It didn't hurt, it was just annoying.

"Kim," said Tommy, pushing her shoulder. "Kim, come on, wake up. The sun's starting to come up outside. We have to get moving."

Lying on her side Kimberly let out a groan, rolled onto her back, and opened her eyes to find Tommy standing over the top of her. She almost started to cry when she realized that it had all been a dream, that they hadn't kissed and Tommy still didn't trust her with his heart.

Not wanting Tommy to see her upset, she nodded and got up from her bed, immediately turning her back to him. "How did you get in here?" she asked, rummaging through her closet for some clean clothes.

"I asked Alpha to let me in," said Tommy, moving for the door when he saw that Kimberly was going to change. "I'm gonna go now. The others are waiting in the control room for you whenever you're ready."

Her understanding was nodded, and with that Tommy left her alone in her bedroom. She turned and stared at the closed door in partial shock, unable to believe how something that had seemed so real could have only been a dream.

Tears filled her eyes as she started to change, pulling on a pair of denim short-shorts and a pink tee shirt baring her toned stomach. She stared at herself in the mirror on her wall, wiping the tears from her eyes and breathing deeply as she struggled to regain her composure.

Once she'd gathered up enough of herself to face her teammates, she exited from her bedroom and methodically navigated the long hallway until finally she arrived outside the control room. She entered the room just as Alpha-5 had begun explaining all that he knew about Onyx to the other Rangers.

"Ay-yi-yi, Onyx is such an evil planet. There are no natives, just vile creatures who have come here to escape the justice of more established worlds," said Alpha, shaking his saucer shaped head. "As long as the sun shines you will be safe, but you have to return to the ship before it gets dark again. All kinds of bounty hunters and assassins come out when the sun sets and you can't take the risk of staying out in the dark just in case someone in the Alliance of Evil has put prices on your heads."

As Kimberly approached the group, Zack laughed in an attempt to deflect the seriousness of Alpha's statement. "Yo, Alpha, you think you could lighten up a little, man?" he asked. "The more you talk about it, the less I want to go out there."

"It's really not that bad, Zack," Kimberly interjected, standing next to Trini with as much space between she and Tommy as was possible. "Yes, there are bounty hunters and assassins, but they're really just a bunch of misfits who aren't good enough at what they do to do it somewhere bigger than Onyx. The good ones are all on planets like Kalderon and Alandria."

Zack didn't seem too convinced and opened his mouth to speak further, but Tommy jumped in before the Blue Ranger could say any more. "If the sun's only out for a few hours then we're already running short on time as it is. We need to get going and worry about the other stuff when and if it even happens. Kim, do you know where we need to start looking?"

Everyone looked at Kimberly for an answer, but she did not reply. With her eyes closed in deep concentration, it was as if she hadn't heard Tommy's question at all. She was reaching out to Zordon, searching for even the faintest hint of where he might be.

This lasted only a few silent seconds before Kimberly opened her eyes and nodded her head. "He's near the capital city, Dunkel," she answered. "It's about three hundred miles from here, but we can make it with plenty of time to get back before dark if we leave now."

Trini furrowed her brow in confusion. "Kim, I don't know about you, but my legs don't move that fast."

Kimberly just smiled. "Neither do mine, Tri, but our gliders do."

Clearing his throat, Jason raised his hand which earned him an eye roll from Kimberly. "Hey, uh, is it just me or am I the only one who thinks flying around a planet of bounty hunters on multi-colored gliders would be like putting giant targets on our backs?"

"Jason, do you seriously think I would put us in that position?" asked Kimberly incredulously while catching out of the corner of her eye the amused smirk that Tommy was sending Jason's way. "The tallest building on this planet is eighteen stories; we fly above that, and we're safe."

"That's an awful long way to fall," said Trini, swallowing hard.

Kimberly did not immediately reply. Instead she turned around and lifted up her shirt, in the process revealing a vertical scar that stretched from the small of her back to the center of her shoulder blades.

"You all can fly as low as you want to, but I made that mistake once and I won't be making it again," said Kimberly. When Tommy winced visibly, forced to turn his head away, it became Jason's turn to grin at his friend in amusement. Pulling her shirt back down, Kimberly returned her attention to the group. "Does anyone have any more questions? If not, we're burning precious daylight here."

Tommy grinned. "Lead the way," he said with a playful bow, Kimberly sticking her tongue out at him just as playfully.

As she turned away, the Rangers started to follow and Tommy found himself staring at the petite figure walking in front of him. His eyes remained locked on her until Jason stepped up next to him and gave Tommy a nudge with his elbow. Tommy just looked at the Black Ranger and rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"I don't wanna hear it, bro," Tommy muttered warningly.

Jason chuckled. "Don't worry, T, I'm not going to mention it anymore," he replied, nodding towards Zack and Trini. Tommy looked over his shoulder to find Zack kissing his hand and Trini winking at him. "It all just kind of speaks for itself now."

Tommy closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to put up with everyone acting like they had a say in what happened between he and Kimberly. He knew it was meant to be harmless, but that didn't make it any easier to withstand.

Luckily, Tommy didn't have to deal with the teasing from his friends for much longer. They arrived in front of a sealed door which slid open with a hiss after Kimberly had input the proper code on the panel next to it.

The now opened door revealed a twenty-five foot drop to the ground below, but that was quickly erased as a ramp slid down from the ship until it rested in the sand. As they walked down the ramp, Tommy immediately understood why they called this place the Sea of Shadows. Even with a moderate amount of sunlight, the sea's waters were still as black as oil.

"You might want to get a running start before you call your gliders," said Kimberly, shooting her teammates a quick smile before she took off sprinting up the beach. "Galaxy Glider, hang ten!"

Her glider seemingly appeared out of nowhere, rocketing through the air as it headed straight for her feet. Timing the move perfectly, she launched into a front flip and Morphed in mid-air, giving the glider plenty of time to settle in under her feet before she landed atop it and shot up high into the sky.

The other Rangers followed suit and tore after Kimberly as soon as they had landed on top of their boards. They didn't know how she had ended up with that scar on her back, but no one really wanted any firsthand experiences so it wasn't until Kimberly's ascent leveled off at nearly twenty stories that they did the same. Even Trini, who had never been a great fan of heights, stayed well above the rooftops of the approaching buildings.

"Jason, Zack, Trini, flank the left and right sides. Keep an eye on all the roofs and make sure there's no one up there we need to worry about," Kimberly ordered through their helmets. "If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to blast it."

The three Ranges nodded and withdrew their blasters from their holsters. They immediately moved into their positions on either side of Kimberly, spreading out quite a ways to cover as much distance as possible.

"What about me?" Tommy asked.

Instead of answering, Kimberly pushed the nose of her glider towards the sky and flipped backwards over his head, her feet never leaving the board. Tommy looked back to find that she was now nearly two hundred feet behind him.

"You're taking the lead," Kimberly told him.

"What are you gonna do, then?" questioned Tommy.

"I'm watching your back," Kimberly answered, turning around on her glider.

The last thing she wanted was for one of her teammates to be on the receiving end of a hidden assassin's sniper blaster. Subconsciously, her fingertips drifted to the scar on her back, making her wince at the memory of that awful day.

Knowing that she needed to focus her full attention on the task at hand, though, she pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and started to scan in every direction with her blaster ready to fire at any would be assailants.

This high up the cities of Onyx all seemed to be similar, only distance separating them from being the exact same place. From their vantage points, the Rangers could not see the turmoil on the streets below them. Prostitution, robbery, rape, murder; they occurred at all hours of the day, in every corner of this wretched planet.

With no government or police force on the planet, these heinous crimes were committed constantly without even the slightest hint of repercussion. As he looked out on the shadowed streets below, Tommy could almost feel the anguish and despair of the people down there.

"This place is pure evil," Tommy murmured to himself, shaking his head as they started over a stretch of building-less land. The hills that were long ago covered in luscious green grass were now brown and dead as they had been for many centuries.

Unknown to the Rangers was that this planet had once been peaceful, ruled by a just democracy while thriving on the off-world exportation of its natural minerals. But no one who lived on Onyx now could remember when the place had been anything more than the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the known universe.

"Give me updates, guys," said Kimberly, communicating with all four teammates. "What are you seeing out there?"

Zack gave a quick look to his left and right, "Nothing over here, Kim."

"It's all clear on my end, too," said Trini.

"Same here," Jason replied, but something on a nearby rooftop made him do a double take. "Wait, I've got movement to the southwest; about six buildings back from the really tall one in the middle of that cluster over there."

Banking her glider hard to the left, Kimberly centered her focus on the building that Jason had pointed out. She saw a flash of silver in the shadows and pulled the trigger on her blaster without a second thought about it, sending multiple shots of pink energy at the building's roof. Not seconds later a Quantron stumbled into sight and went toppling over the edge, plummeting towards the chaos below.

"Damn," muttered Jason, shaking his head. "Nice shooting, Kim."

"Thanks," Kimberly replied as she returned to scouting the rest of the rooftops.

Even as they traveled through the air at speeds in excess of one hundred and fifty miles per hour, the ride to Dunkel seemed to take forever. Halfway to the capital city, Kimberly closed her eyes for a moment to see if she could sense Zordon.

"He's getting weaker, guys," muttered Kimberly sadly, "and being on this planet is only making the process move faster."

"We'll get him, Kim," Tommy replied with a confident nod.

"I know we will," said Kimberly, smiling beneath her helmet.

By the time they had finally reached the outskirts of Dunkel there was not a single Ranger in the group not aching to move their legs more than a few inches. They could tell it was the capital city for its architectural design was far different than that of the many other cities they had already flown over.

Kimberly turned back around on her glider and took it higher and higher into the air, flying over Tommy's head before descending at the forefront of the group. "Let's bring it back in, guys; we're almost there."

The Rangers all converged around Kimberly who flew in the middle, Jason on her left and Tommy on her right, Trini and Zack on either side of the two former leaders. Scouting the area, she pointed to a tall building towards the back end of the city's edge.

"Is that where Zordon is?" asked Tommy.

"I think so, but I'm not a hundred percent sure," answered Kimberly. "His presence is so weak that it makes it almost impossible to pinpoint one location. All I know is that it's definitely coming from somewhere in that area and the taller a building is, the more places there are for someone to hide something."

Tommy could tell from the apologetic tone in her voice that she was disappointed in herself for not being able to produce a more definite location. "We'll make due with what we have, Kim. That's all we can really do."

She nodded in agreement, smiling thankfully beneath her helmet. "We're going to land on the roof and enter the building from there. Every single building on this planet is used for something unsavory, so don't be surprised if we find more than just the Alliance's goons inside. Just remember that our mission is to save Zordon, nothing else."

Jason turned his head, staring at Kimberly through his visor. "You're making it sound like we might be running into some people besides Zordon that need saving. You can't just expect us to turn our backs on them if that's the case, Kim."

"I expect you to follow my orders, Jason," Kimberly said firmly. "We only have a couple more hours' worth of daylight, and we're going to need each and every minute of it. I hate to say it, but what few innocents actually remain on this planet are already beyond saving."

"You can tell us not to help because we don't have time, but no one is ever beyond saving, Kim," Tommy replied, almost disappointed in what he was hearing from her. "You of all people should know that."

Narrowing her eyes at the Red Ranger, Kimberly found his words to ring with an undeniable sense of truth. When she'd been turned evil, sacrificed to Maligore's Pit at the hands of Divatox, none of the Rangers—especially not Tommy—had ever considered her to be beyond saving, not even for a moment.

She sighed, knowing that telling them not to help someone in need went against their very nature as Power Rangers. It took a certain breed to put a stranger's life in front of one's own, and the four who surrounded her now knew that better than most.

"Do what you have to do," Kimberly conceded. "Just make sure that finding and saving Zordon is your number one priority at all times."

"What do we do if we find him?" asked Zack, looking across Tommy to Kimberly. "I don't think his tube is going to fit on any of our gliders."

Kimberly already had that one under control. "Alpha's already been instructed to move the _Shadow Rider _based on where our energy signals resonate from. In an hour or so, he'll leave the Sea of Shadows and be here by nightfall."

"So then why didn't he just drop us off here in the first place?" asked Trini, confused. "Wouldn't it have saved us more daylight?"

Kimberly nodded. "Absolutely, but it also would have drawn a lot more attention than what we're doing now. A ship that big flying that low in such a major city would have set off even the weakest of radar systems, but the Galaxy Gliders are equipped with stealth technology that makes them virtually undetectable."

"Impressive," muttered Tommy.

"Yep," said Kimberly as they quickly narrowed the distance between themselves and the rooftop they would be landing on. In a matter of seconds they were just feet away from being directly over the top of it. "Well, this is where we get off."

Effortlessly, she flipped from her glider and landed safely on the roof while the other Rangers quickly followed her. She pointed towards the only door and motioned for her teammates to keep up with her as she approached it with blaster drawn. Jiggling the handle, she found that it was locked and took a step back, pointing her blaster at it.

A thin beam of pink energy shot from the blaster's barrel, smoke and sparks pouring from the door handle until it popped off and fell to the ground harmlessly. It was an easy entrance from there, the door creaking open unmolested once the lock had been done away with.

"Stay quiet," Kimberly muttered, pushing her way into the building where she found a single staircase leading to the top floor. The noise was kept to a minimum as the Rangers tiptoed down the stairs, passing by hallways filled with doors, each of which Kimberly ignored. They descended three more flights of steps before she stopped and slowly turned around. "I can feel him; he's close."

The other Rangers nodded as Kimberly started towards the next set of stairs, taking them down six more levels before she stopped again. "This is it," she whispered, pushing open the nearest door. They followed her into a hallway with four doors all in a row and immediately went for the one furthest from them.

She practically yanked the door away from the frame and opened it with such conviction that severe emotional distress began to set in as soon as she discovered that the spacious room was completely void of life. The only piece of furniture was a simple wooden table upon which a clear jar rested, filled with what appeared to be a swirling cloud of blue-green smoke. Next to the jar was a single sheet of black parchment paper.

"He's not here," murmured Kimberly, shaking her head. "I can't believe he's not here. He still feels so close."

"Maybe that's why," said Tommy, pointing to the jar as he moved passed her to inspect it. He picked up the sheet of paper and started to read out loud the scratchy scribe colored a fiery shade of orange.

_Dear Rangers,_

_So sorry to disappoint you, but Zordon is long gone. Actually, he was never even here in the first place. See, as soon as Dark Specter found out that you were coming to Onyx he had me take Zordon as far away from this planet as possible. I did leave you a little gift for your efforts, though. I like to call it Eau de Zordon, a little piece of your beloved mentor left especially for you. This way you will all have something to remember him by when the last of his essence has been drained and sacrificed to restore Dark Specter to his full power. Although, once that happens you really won't have much time to remember him at all before Dark Specter destroys you, too. Anyway, gotta run. It's been fun as always._

_Love ya,_

_The Toxic Diva_

"Why do I think the Alliance of Evil would be pissed off if they read this letter?" asked Jason, shaking his head.

"Divatox has a big mouth, bro," Tommy replied, smirking knowingly. "I'd go ten-to-one that she said way more than she was supposed to."

Ignoring her friend's laughter, Kimberly's eyes burned with anger, as they had been doing almost as soon as Tommy had begun reading Divatox's letter. That the Rangers had actually been tricked by someone as utterly moronic as Divatox made her seethe even more. And if that wasn't enough, just the simple mention of Dark Specter was enough to make her blood boil.

"I'm gonna kill her," Kimberly muttered angrily. "So help me God, if I ever get my hands on her I'm going to rip that bitch limb from limb."

"Damn, Kim, that's pretty harsh," said Zack, whose words echoed the looks of surprise on the other Ranger's faces. Truth told, none of them could ever recall a time where they'd seen Kimberly as visibly angry as she was right now, and that was saying a lot considering three of them had known her since kindergarten.

Clenching her fists tightly, Kimberly shook her head. "First she turned me evil, then she tried to kill my friends countless times, and now she's playing games with the man who was more of a father to me than my own dad. Whatever she gets, she deserves a hundred times more."

"Who's Dark Specter?" asked Jason.

"Think Maligore times a thousand," Kimberly answered simply, the eyes of the other Rangers growing wide.

Tommy opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he saw something stirring in one of the room's shadowy corners. Withdrawing his blaster from its holster, he aimed it at the corner and motioned for the other Rangers to do the same. They followed without question, all five blasters pointing in the same direction.

"I'm going to count to three and if you don't come out from there we're gonna fry you," said Tommy, giving whoever it was a few moments to show himself before he began his count. "Three…two…one."

All at once, five continuous beams of multi-colored energy were fired towards the corner. Oddly enough, though, they all seemed to stop in midair at the exact same point, simply disappearing as the beams continued this repeating cycle.

"Put down your weapons for I am no foe to you," said a deep voice, coming from place where their blaster fire ceased.

"Show yourself!" Kimberly shouted back, keeping the trigger on her blaster pulled back.

"Put down your weapons and I shall!" the voice replied.

She did not want to do so, but Kimberly lowered her blaster and instructed the other Rangers to do the same. As soon as their firing had ceased, a figure covered in black and silver armor slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Who are you?" Tommy demanded, positioning himself in a defensive stance.

"I am called Phantom Ranger, son of Eltar and ally to the second generation of Turbo Power Rangers," he replied, approaching the Rangers without fear of attack. "Like you, I search for the one known as Zordon, and I, too, was tricked by the United Alliance of Evil into coming to this terrible place."

Jason glared at the Phantom Ranger. "How do you know Zordon?"

"My relationship to your mentor is not important to the success of your mission. All that you need to know is that my reasons for searching him out are as just and noble as yours," Phantom Ranger answered. "As you have already discovered, he is clearly not here. There is, however, somewhere you can go that may provide you with the answers you are looking for."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Trini. "How do we know you're not just another one of Divatox's lackeys here to send us on another wild goose chase?"

"I am disappointed in your lack of faith, she who roars with the power of the mighty Sabertooth Tiger," Phantom Ranger replied, Trini's eyes widening in shock. "Unfortunately, I have no means to prove to you that I am trustworthy. I can only provide you with the information I believe will help you find Zordon, but I cannot force you to use it."

Kimberly's eyes narrowed as she tried to get a read on the Phantom Ranger. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was just _something_ about him that made her immediately think of Zordon. She didn't trust the Phantom Ranger, but she didn't necessarily distrust him either.

"Tell us what you know," said Kimberly.

The Phantom Ranger nodded. "Five will travel to the edge of the mystical plateau, but two will journey through the enchanted jungle and on to the place protected by the most noble of beasts. Only there can they discover the truth about their destinies, only there can they find their guiding light, and only there will they find that which they have always searched for."

Before the Rangers could question the Phantom Ranger any further, he disappeared into absolute nothingness, gone from the room completely. While Jason, Zack, and Trini shared similar looks of confusion, Tommy and Kimberly looked at one another as though everything the Phantom Ranger had said made perfect sense.

"You know where we have to go, don't you?" asked Tommy softly.

Kimberly nodded. "I'm scared of what we'll find there. It's been so long."

"Whatever it is, Kim, we'll get through it," said Tommy, touching her arm reassuringly. "We did it once, and we can do it again."

Sighing, Kimberly raised her wrist to her lips, her eyes never wavering from Tommy. "Alpha, how far out from our location are you?"

"_Only ten minutes or so, but an army of Quantrons just appeared on the roof. Ay-yi-yi, you will have to eliminate them or I won't be able to land the ship."_

"Don't worry, Alpha," Kimberly replied, silently cursing their bad luck. "We'll make sure you have plenty of room to land; Kim out."

Standing behind Tommy, in Kimberly's line of vision, Jason raised his hand. "Umm, since you both seemed to understand what the hell that guy was saying, do either one of you want to fill the rest of us in, 'cause I think I speak for both Zack and Trini when I say that we are all completely and totally confused right now."

Kimberly shook her head. "We'll explain once we're back on the ship, but right now we need to get that roof clear before Alpha shows up so let's get moving."

Forced to wait, Jason rolled his eyes and followed Kimberly back towards the stairwell. The five Rangers sprinted up the nine flights of stairs, bursting out onto the rooftop to find at least two dozen Quantrons just waiting for them to show up.

Immediately a fight was instigated, each Ranger individually taking on anywhere from five to seven of Astronema's silver and black foots soldiers. For nearly ten minutes the rooftop was absolute chaos with Quantrons flying in every direction imaginable. They were hardly a challenge for the Rangers who'd done battle with much worse and dispatched the Quantrons with relative ease.

By the time the _Shadow Rider_ came into view, Tommy was in the process of delivering a tornado kick to the final Quantron. His foot connected expertly with the side of the Quantron's head, knocking it over the building's edge en route to imminent and instant death some two hundred feet below.

The door opened with a loud hiss as soon as the ship had made its landing, the boarding ramp descending shortly thereafter. "Come on, we need to move before someone notices us," said Kimberly, running towards the ramp with the remaining Rangers in close pursuit.

Once they had safely entered the ship, the ramp quickly recoiled and the door slid shut once more. The now demorphed Rangers all grabbed hold of something as the ship's engines started to rumble from their impending takeoff before shooting into the sky at a rate that far exceeded the speed of light.

Safe for the time being, Tommy and Kimberly shared a look for they knew the time had come for them to explain to the others that which the Phantom Ranger had spoken of.

"Let's go to the control room. We can talk there" said Kimberly, Tommy nodding his agreement. Upon entering the room, Kimberly stopped and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "DECA; set a course for Phaedos right away."

"_But Kimberly, Phaedos has been unpopulated for nearly three centuries."_

"No it hasn't," Kimberly replied. "That's just what people think because most everyone who has gone there never returned."

"_If you say so; course now set for the planet Phaedos, in the galaxy Tiergeist. Approximate arrival time to Phaedos is sixteen standard hours."_

With that taken care of, Kimberly finally turned around to find Tommy standing by her side while Jason, Zack, and Trini all stared at them expectantly. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" she asked.

Tommy shrugged. "You can tell them and I'll fill in if I need to."

Kimberly nodded and returned her attention to the other Rangers. "About six months after you guys left the team we were forced to go to Phaedos in search of the Great Power; Zordon was dying and we needed the Power to save him. We met Dulcea, Master Warrior and keeper of the Ninjetti, and she helped us to unlock our sacred animal spirits. The enchanted jungle that the Phantom Ranger mentioned is actually the Neola Jungle, and the place protected by the most noble of beasts is the Ninjetti Temple, which is where Tommy and I have to go."

If the trio of Rangers had not been confused enough, they now looked at Kimberly with the blankest of expressions imaginable. "What do you mean, you and Tommy? What about the rest of us?" Zack asked.

"You guys are going to have to sit this one out, unfortunately," Tommy answered to his teammate's incredulous disbelief. "The Phantom Ranger said that five would travel to the edge of the jungle, but only two would continue on to the temple. Seeing as how Kim and I are the only ones here with a connection to the Ninjetti, I think it's safe to assume that we're the two people the Phantom Ranger was talking about."

Jason shook his head. "I don't like this, bro. We don't even know if this Phantom Ranger guy is really on our side or not. How do we know he's not just trying to separate us, divide and conquer or something?"

Tommy shrugged. "We don't, but it's not like Divatox left us any clues as to where she's taking Zordon. Right now all we have to go on is what the Phantom Ranger told us. Look, I've had to sit out my fair share of fights so I really do know how bad this sucks for you guys, but this one just isn't your battle to worry about."

"I still don't like this," said Jason adamantly.

"I know you don't, buddy, trust me I do," Tommy replied, clasping his friend's shoulder, "but this is something that Kim and I have to do alone. If the Phantom Ranger was right, there's a reason it's supposed to be just me and Kim. And since we don't know anything else, we can't run the risk of taking all five of us into the jungle."

Jason's eyes burned and Tommy knew that he was mad. Like Tommy, Jason hated it with a passion when his friends went into harm's way without him. Neither man would ever be able to live with themselves if something happened to one of the Rangers on a mission and they weren't there to help.

Still, Jason also understood that this was one fight he could not win. "Just…be safe out there, okay."

"We will, Jase," said Kimberly, smiling reassuringly.

Sighing in defeat, Jason forced himself to nod just once and left the control room with not another word. "Where are you going?" Tommy called out after him.

"The gym," Jason answered without turning around. "I need to hit something."

Tommy started to follow him, but Zack reached out and stopped him. "You know better than to go after him when he's like this, man," said Zack with a smile. "Give him a couple of hours to cool down and he'll forget all about it."

"He acts like I want it to be this way," Tommy seethed through gritted teeth. "How can he honestly think that I don't want you guys there when Kim and I go into the Neola Jungle? It took six of us to make it through it the last time, and even though we know what to expect now that doesn't make it very much easier."

"That bad, huh?" asked Trini, Tommy and Kimberly both nodding. "Do you really think that you can make it by yourselves?"

Looking at Kimberly and smiling, Tommy couldn't help but to feel absolute confidence in their ability to navigate the dangerous jungle. "Trini," he answered softly, "if I've learned anything in my years as a Ranger it's that, to those who possess the Great Power—"

"All things are possible," said Tommy and Kimberly in unison.

Kimberly's finished statement had everyone in the room grinning from ear to ear. To Zack and Trini it had just been a cute little exchange, but for Tommy and Kimberly it meant so much more than that as was evident by the look they shared with each other.

"The Great Power helped us save Zordon once," said Tommy confidently. "If those who possess the Power really are capable of anything, then going to the place it was created could be exactly what we need to help us find him."

"I hope you're right, man," Zack replied skeptically, which did not surprise Tommy or Kimberly as he had not experienced what it meant to be Ninjetti. "Listen, I'm gonna go snag some food. Jason told me about that machine that makes anything you want to eat and I gotta check it out. Anyone want to come with?"

"I'll go," said Trini. "I haven't eaten since before we left Earth."

Zack nodded. "Tommy, Kim?" he asked. Having already eaten, either with Jason as was the case for Kimberly or a hamburger at the mall for Tommy, they both shook their heads. "Alright guys, we'll catch up with you later, then."

Alone once more, Tommy and Kimberly breathed sighs of relief when the room had finally been emptied. "So we're really going to Phaedos, huh?" asked Tommy.

"Yep, we really are," Kimberly answered, smiling. "What do you think we'll find there?"

Tommy shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. We haven't been there in almost four years. A lot can change in that time."

"Are you scared?" she asked, searching out the truth in his eyes.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't," said Tommy. "The jungle is unpredictable, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to it than what we've already seen. That doesn't mean I don't think we can do it, though."

"I don't think we can, Tommy," Kimberly replied, Tommy's eyes growing wide with surprise. "I know we can."

Smiling, Tommy nodded and pulled Kimberly into a half hug against his side. "Tell me about what happened to your back?"

Wincing visibly, Kimberly freed herself from Tommy's embrace. With folded arms and her back turned, she took a few steps away from him. "Six weeks ago I went to Onyx for the first time. At first I was flying pretty high, but then this weird thing happened. It was like I could feel the people hurting on the ground. I started to fly lower, thinking that I could help them. I never saw who did it, but Alpha said the size and shape of the scar meant that it came from a Genevian sniper blaster."

Suddenly it all made sense. "That's why you didn't want us to worry about anything except finding Zordon, isn't it?" asked Tommy. Still with her back turned to him, Kimberly nodded silently. Stepping up next to her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and gave it a gentle rub. "Protecting your teammates, not making the same mistakes twice; you're catching on to this whole leader thing pretty fast."

"You think so?" Kimberly questioned, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I think you should know by now that I don't say things I don't mean," Tommy replied teasingly.

"I guess I should, huh?" she asked with a smirk.

Tommy rolled his eyes playfully before asking an all important question. "So what we do for the next fifteen and a half hours?"

--


	5. A Phantom Engagement

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter 5 – A Phantom Engagement**_

_**Original Posting Date: November, 2008**_

More than any one thing in the world he absolutely despised not being able to help. This was clear as Jason, wearing a thin pair of boxing gloves, threw punch after angry punch at the heavy bag tucked away in the back corner of the large gym. Each strike was accompanied by a loud, ferocious grunt and sweat poured heavily from his brow as it had been doing ever since he arrived at the gym nearly an hour ago.

Despite his actions, the only thing that he seemed to be able to focus on was Kimberly and Tommy going into the Neola Jungle without the other Rangers. Yes, Kimberly and Tommy obviously had the experience when it came to Phaedos, the Neola Jungle, and the Great Power, but that didn't mean the rest of the Rangers couldn't handle it. He couldn't understand why it had to be just them, why Zack, Trini, and he were being forced to sit on the sidelines when he still believed that they could be of some help.

His two closest friends going off on their own with no real knowledge as to what they were supposed to do when they got there, or if they were even supposed to go there at all, just did not sit right with him. He didn't trust the Phantom Ranger, and truthfully felt that by following the mysterious being's cryptic message Kimberly and Tommy were only setting themselves up to get hurt.

He beat his fists against the bag relentlessly, seemingly taking out every single ounce of pent up frustration his body could hold. The chain which supported the bag creaked with each and every thunderous punch he delivered, but Jason didn't seem to care. He just kept hitting it over and over, ignoring the burning sensation exploding up and down his exhausted, overworked arms.

Cocking his right arm back, he lashed out with one final punch that caused the bag to sway wildly in every direction imaginable. Waiting until the bag's momentum had slowed down some before reaching out and stopping it, he then snatched his towel and a bottle of water from the floor and walked away from the wobbling bag.

For almost two more hours he moved about the gym, making stops at a multitude of different stations set up throughout the building. He lifted every type of weight available, ran on the treadmill, pedaled furiously on a stationary bike, and ended his workout in a sauna where he finally allowed himself to relax, if it could even be called that.

His demeanor in the sauna appeared calm and collected as though nothing was bothering him, but inside his emotions were tumultuous at best. When he finally left the gym after well over three hours, nothing had changed. He was still mad that three good Rangers were being excluded from such an important mission, still worried that an oblivious Tommy and Kimberly were being set up, and still hating the fact that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Pushing his way through the gym's double doors he stepped outside and used his towel to wipe the residual perspiration from his face. No sooner had he felt the warm sun dancing on his skin then he heard a piercing scream coming from somewhere nearby. Temporarily forgetting his anger, he started running without hesitation towards the parking lot, in the direction of where the noise had originated from.

Ducking behind a large, black SUV he peered around the corner of the vehicle cautiously, trying to keep the element of surprise on his side. What he found was at least a dozen Quantrons circling a rather attractive, blonde haired woman who appeared to be completely defenseless.

"Not on my watch," grumbled Jason, revealing his presence to the Quantrons. "Hey tin heads! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The blonde woman looked his way and smiled appreciatively as the Quantrons headed straight for him. Jason immediately sprung into action, grabbing a Quantron by the arm and driving his elbow right into the foot soldier's metal face. Three swift side kicks followed in rapid succession, starting at the abdomen of another Quantron while moving up towards its' head.

One by one the Quantrons dropped like flies as Jason fought with the most expert of martial arts ability. His punches were precise, his kicks flowing with the perfection of over a decade's worth of work devoted to his chosen sport. When all was said and done, only a pile of lifeless Quantrons remained littered throughout the parking lot.

Remembering why he'd been fighting the Quantrons in the first place, Jason started to turn around to check on the formerly endangered woman, but his body never made its' full revolution. Before he could get a good look at her he felt something slam hard into his back, causing him to roar in pain.

It took but seconds for him to slump forward and fall face first to the ground, the blow more than enough to render Jason unconscious. Smiling wickedly, triumphantly, the blonde woman approached Jason's motionless body and prodded his side with the toe of her boot to make sure that he wasn't playing possum.

In a flash of bright light, her appearance suddenly began to change from the defenseless woman she had just been to the one called Astronema. The pride from her victory was evident on her face as she summoned three more Quantrons to the area.

"Secure the Ranger, take him back to the Dark Fortress with you, and leave him in the first floor chambers," Astronema ordered, the Quantrons obeying hastily. Carelessly they lifted him into the air, treating Jason's body as thought it was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. "I said secure him, not throw him around like a ball. If I wanted him hurt more than he already is I would have done it myself you idiots!"

Being the ignorant, unintelligent creations they were, the Quantrons handled Jason with slightly more care, but not much. The foursome disappeared in another flash of light; Astronema rolled her eyes in disgust and followed shortly thereafter.

Arriving onboard the Dark Fortress, she made haste to find the one who had been practically itching to get his hands on Jason since the veteran Ranger had rejoined the team two days prior. Goldar was easily located in his personal chambers, lying atop a thin mattress in a room that was testament to his absolute unadulterated hatred for the Rangers, two in particular.

The room was almost completely shrouded in darkness, only a single dimly lit bulb preventing it from being totally black. The walls were adorned with various photographs of the Rangers, specifically Jason and Tommy whom Goldar hated with a passion that ran far deeper than his disdain for the other heroes.

As soon as he heard the door open, Goldar was on his feet. He grabbed his sword from the bed and immediately stood at attention as Astronema entered the room and started towards him.

"Astronema," said Goldar, "to what do I owe this visit?"

"I've brought something for you, Goldar; something that I think you will enjoy very much," Astronema answered, the slightest hint of a twinkle in her eyes. The look on Goldar's face implored her to continue. "As we speak the Black Ranger is being taken to the dungeons. He's yours if you want, but with one catch of course."

Goldar's eyes became as wide as saucers at the prospect of getting his hands on one of the two Power Rangers who had thwarted him at every turn for so many years. "I would love nothing more than to ring the human's neck like a wet towel," he replied firmly. "Name your price and it shall be done."

Astronema seemed to study Goldar for a moment before nodding. "Lord Zedd and Rita," she said simply.

"What about them?" Goldar asked.

"Dark Specter does not trust them, and frankly I don't blame him," Astronema answered to the expected surprise of Goldar. "I know your loyalty to them runs deep, Goldar, but the time has now come for you to pledge your allegiance to a new Mistress. Obey my orders, and the Black Ranger is yours."

Goldar's eyes narrowed, he too studying the person standing before him. "What would you have me do to them?"

"I need you to be my informant," said Astronema, smiling for she knew how badly Goldar wanted to tear Jason's head off. "Any plans they make behind the Alliance's back, anything suspicious that you see or hear I want to know about immediately. That is all I ask of you."

"That's it?" asked Goldar incredulously. "Spy on Zedd and Rita, and I can have the Black Ranger?"

Astronema nodded once more. "That and your loyalty to me," she replied. "Ecliptor has been faithfully by my side for many, many years, but I need a general who understands these Rangers and you have that experience while he does not."

Goldar's answer came quickly, without even the tiniest bit of hesitation. Bowing his head humbly, he lowered himself to one knee before Astronema. "I am at your bidding, Mistress. Your wish is my command."

"Good," said Astronema. "Rise, my warrior, and take that which has been granted to you."

With his head still lowered, Goldar slowly ascended back to his feet. He looked at Astronema, apathetic to the notion that he was betraying the ones he had served faithfully for so long. With the thought of torturing Jason looming overhead, he would have turned his back on anyone for the opportunity to eliminate the Black Ranger once and for all.

"Thank you, Astronema," Goldar murmured. "I will not fail you."

Giving the winged warrior a single nod, Astronema turned her back on him and left his room as quickly as was possible. Even for one as evil and sadistic as she, Goldar's morbid fascination with the Red and Black Rangers had been more than enough to send a flurry of chills running up and down her spine.

Goldar exited his quarters a few minutes later, but not until after he had mentally prepared himself for his impending confrontation with Jason. He'd waited for this moment for so very, very long and now that it was finally here he planned on savoring it for as long as he could.

If he had his way, the Black Ranger's death was going to be as utterly painful as it was painstakingly slow. He wanted Jason to suffer in the worst of ways imaginable; a long, horrific experience culminating in Jason begging for mercy. And when he finally did break down, Goldar would grant him the mercy he desired by ending his miserable existence once and for all.

The opportunities to do just that had been there numerous times in the past, and Goldar had failed to kill Jason on each occasion. This time, he didn't plan on making the same mistakes he'd made before.

He found Jason exactly where Astronema said he would be, in the first floor dungeons with his arms and legs shackled to a wall. The Black Ranger was still unconscious which Goldar quickly remedied with a powerful backhand to his face, Jason's eyes snapping open as he howled in pain.

"Wake up, Black Ranger," Goldar growled, pointing his sword at a disoriented Jason. "Do you have any idea how long I have waited to do this?"

Before Jason could reply, Goldar reached out and grabbed the collar of his black tee shirt, ripping it away. With Jason's chest exposed, Goldar took the point of his sword and lightly pressed it into Jason's left pectoral muscle.

Blood started to trickle from the wound almost instantly as Jason's head snapped back, his eyes on the ceiling as he roared in both pain and anger. He tried to get onto his feet only to find that he was being restrained, completely helpless to whatever twisted ideas Goldar may have had in mind for him.

"Come on, Goldar!" Jason bellowed, his face twisted with rage. "You don't have the balls to let me go and fight me like a man!"

Goldar merely laughed. "Foolish human, I shall release you soon enough, but for now," he said, repeating his action with the sword on the opposite side of Jason's chest, "I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm."

--

The lights in one of the _Shadow Rider's _many common rooms were illuminated dimly as Tommy and Kimberly sat on a couch made of black leather, watching a movie on a device that looked like a normal television, but wasn't. It had the same basic functions as a television, only it did not receive a signal from anywhere; essentially it was thousands of channels from all over the universe that simply played on the screen with no outside assistance.

The movie in question was _Armageddon_, a film with enough action to sustain Tommy's interest while still carrying a story that Kimberly could enjoy; it didn't hurt that Ben Affleck was the star of the movie, either.

They sat cautiously close to one another, just a foot or two of visibly awkward space between them on the large couch. Tommy had not yet said anything, but he had noticed Kimberly slowly inching her way closer to him ever since the first love scene between Liv Tyler and Affleck's characters which had been just over fifteen minutes ago.

As the film progressed and the small gap separating them diminished further, Tommy started to feel more and more out of place. There was just something about this current scenario that made him want Kimberly close to him, and not the way they were now. It didn't seem right that he sat with his arms spread out behind the couch when he had the woman who had always been the perfect cuddling partner sitting so near to him.

He surprised them both when he pulled the classic "yawn and stretch" move that saw him casually slip his arm around her shoulder in the midst of a loud, exaggerated yawn. When she felt his fingertips dancing on her arm she looked up at him and rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you just pulled something that corny," said Kimberly with a laugh. Tommy was happily surprised when she didn't move his arm or say anything about this sudden, somewhat intimate contact. Instead, she finally closed the remaining space between them and curled up warmly against his side. "I missed this."

Gazing down on her, Tommy just smiled and nodded. He didn't say anything because the truth was that he was afraid to admit how much he was enjoying it as well. If he said what he was thinking, though, he would have told Kimberly that it felt right to him, and that he wanted her next to him every day for the rest of his life.

But Kimberly didn't need him to speak to know the truth about what he was feeling. She could tell by his demeanor, the look in his eyes, and the way he treated her with such care and affection regardless of the fact that they were not together romantically, that they were on the road to something more than just friendship. Whether Tommy was consciously aware of it or not, little by little his defensive walls were starting to crack.

"Have you thought about the possibility of reconnecting with out animal spirits?" asked Kimberly softly, her fingers toying with the hem of his shirt.

"I haven't stopped thinking about it since the Phantom Ranger disappeared," Tommy replied truthfully. "As soon as I'd made sense of what he said it was almost like I could feel the falcon buried deep inside me, just waiting to be released."

Kimberly's eyes widened with surprise. "I—I felt the exact same thing with the crane spirit."

"You know, I've actually thought a lot about this and I really don't think Ninjetti ever dies. It's like, once you've touched it, it's a part of you forever," said Tommy, smiling fondly. "I can't tell you what it felt like to be a Turbo Ranger or a Zeo Ranger, but I can still remember exactly what it was like to be a Ninjetti."

"I think you're right," said Kimberly. "I don't think the crane will ever leave me."

Smiling softly, Tommy nodded. "That's how it should be. I mean, our animal spirits aren't just some random power, they're directly related to who we are as people. I'm always going to be the falcon and you're always going to be the crane."

"I miss those days," admitted Kimberly, wearing a fond smile. "Remember when we used to take the Zords out? We'd race across the sky without a care in the world; just you, me, and the two fastest Zords ever made."

"Those were good times, weren't they?" asked Tommy casually. Kimberly nodded as he rubbed her arm gently. "I wonder if Dulcea's expecting us."

Kimberly just shrugged her shoulders, remaining silent as the pair turned their attention back to the movie. It didn't take long after that for her to get comfortable enough in Tommy's embrace to drift off into a light, peaceful sleep; one of those sleeps somewhere in between awake and completely out of it.

She could still hear bits and pieces of the film, but not enough to know what was going on. She could still feel it whenever Tommy moved or adjusted his position, but not enough to stir her into consciousness. Normally she would have hated sleeping like this, as would most people, but right now it didn't bother.

A very subconscious smile crossed her lips as Tommy gently lowered her body into a laying position across the long couch and then curled up behind her. For the first few minutes as he tried to fall asleep he lied with his hands at his side, inches away from touching Kimberly. That distance was closed, however, when Kimberly reached behind her back, took hold of Tommy's arm, and draped it around her waist.

With his eyes closed, Tommy let out a content sigh which only made Kimberly's smile all the more bright. She could practically hear the walls as they crumbled all around his heavily protected heart.

When Kimberly stirred slightly she unknowingly caused Tommy's eyes to flutter open. He looked at the back of her neck and smiled. The single, tender kiss that followed moments later was simply unavoidable. He saw the soft skin that he had kissed so many times and just could not help himself.

Luckily the kiss had not been enough to garner Kimberly's attention, or at least that is what Tommy assumed. He didn't see the single tear that escaped each of her closed eyes, sliding down her cheeks and over her smiling lips.

As Tommy gazed upon her sleeping form a multitude of thoughts began to swirl throughout his confused mind. Doubt, though, was at the forefront; doubt if he was doing the right thing by maintaining their title as friends. If he was honest with himself, they had started moving on the fast track towards something more shortly after he'd finished yelling his heart out at her.

The hugs, the way they looked at each other, the way they flirted oh so naturally without a care in the world; in his heart, Tommy knew what he truly wanted. It was his head, like always it seemed, that was preventing him from just reaching out and taking it.

Once stirred, falling asleep for Tommy became pretty much impossible as he could do little more than stare at Kimberly and listen to her soft, quiet breathing. His arm was quickly thrown away, however, when she shot onto her feet at the sound of the alarm suddenly blaring. Tommy was standing at her side moments later.

"Big surprise, huh?" he asked with a chuckle.

Smiling knowingly, Kimberly nodded. "They wouldn't be good at what they did if they didn't attack at the worst times possible."

"Let's get to the control room," said Tommy. "Hopefully Jason is back by now."

With an agreeing nod, Kimberly followed Tommy out into the long stretch of hallway that led to the control room. Side by side they sprinted down the winding path, not stopping until they reached the control room where Alpha-5 was already waiting for them.

"Alpha, what's going on?" asked Kimberly, the concern clear on her face.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi, it's terrible, Kimberly. A monster is attacking Angel—"

Before Alpha could finish his statement he was cut off by Zack who burst into the room with Trini behind him, his mouth moving a mile a minute. "What's going on? Is everything okay? Where's Jason?"

Tommy furrowed his brow. "You mean he's not back yet?"

Zack shrugged. "If he is, I haven't seen him."

"It's been almost five hours since he left. He should be back by now," said Kimberly firmly, turning to their automaton sidekick. "Alpha, run a scan of the entire ship and see if Jason's onboard. If not, scan Earth and see where he is."

Again, Alpha was prevented from speaking, this time by DECA whose voice echoed loudly throughout the control room. Kimberly's heart practically broke into pieces when she saw the robot hang his head dejectedly and turn his back to the Rangers.

"_Jason is not onboard the ship, Kimberly. He is not on Earth, either."_

Four sets of eyes went wide almost immediately, but it was Tommy, worried beyond recognition, who spoke first. "Well where is he, then?" he asked, his voice demanding answers.

"_I do not know, Tommy. His energy readings are very weak and I cannot pinpoint his location which leads me to believe he has been imprisoned by the United Alliance of Evil. Their Dark Fortress is protected by an incredibly powerful shield that prevents even the strongest radar systems from locating them. I do, however, have an approximate location for Jason spanning a distance of three parsecs in the Koja System, near the planet Redna 2."_

Kimberly's expression became one of great disappointment. "Great," she muttered, looking at Tommy sadly. "Redna 2 is nowhere near Phaedos."

"We'll have to worry about Phaedos later, Kim," Tommy replied. "Right now we've got two much bigger problems to worry about."

Kimberly nodded, her eyes never leaving Tommy. "Can you go after Jason while Zack, Trini, and I take care of things on Earth?"

"Kim, no way," Zack interjected, "that's suicide. One person doesn't stand a chance against all the firepower they must have on that fortress."

Tommy, however, was not seeing eye-to-eye with his blue counterpart. "I can handle it," he interjected.

Questioning Tommy's abilities was something Zack knew better than to do, so the Red Ranger's simple conformation was all that needed to be said for the argument to end. Taking her focus away from Tommy, Kimberly turned to a saddened Alpha-5.

"Alpha, once you have Jason's approximate location I want you running as many different scans on that area as possible," she said with a smile. "If there's anyone who can find Jason, it's you."

One compliment from Kimberly was all that it took for Alpha to immediately brighten up. "I will do my best, Kimberly," said the robot.

"I know you will, Alpha," Kimberly replied, returning her attention to Tommy. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"I will," Tommy answered, nodding.

Kimberly returned the gesture, and with a sudden sense of courage added one of her own. She crossed the few feet of space between them; pulled Tommy's head down, and planted a firm kiss to his lips. It lasted only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to leave both of their cheeks a bright shade of red. Behind them, the looks on the faces of Zack and |Trini were in a priceless state of shock.

"What was that for?" asked Tommy softly.

"Luck," Kimberly answered, patting his chest. "Now go."

After a quick handshake with Zack and a hug from Trini, Tommy was gone with a parting wave. It took a few moments after he had left for Kimberly to snap back into reality. Ignoring the smirks on the faces of Zack and Trini, she rolled her eyes and walked over to where Alpha was standing, running a multitude of scans at one of the control panels.

"Tell me about this monster, Alpha," said Kimberly, her hand on Alpha's shoulder.

"Ay-yi-yi," Alpha replied, turning around. "The monster's name is Electrotramp and he's in the middle of draining Angel Grove's entire energy supply. What's worse, the more energy he takes in, the stronger he gets. An image should be appearing on the viewing globe now."

The three remaining Rangers all turned their eyes to the viewing globe, watching as a dark gray, metal monster with the body of a Varox bounty hunter and a matching police officer's cap atop his head stalked the streets of Angel Grove. Electrotramp was already at gigantic proportions, crackling waves of electricity shooting from the nearby buildings into his body as he drained the city of its power supply.

"We have to stop him," said Trini, Zack and Kimberly nodding their agreement.

"We'll take the gliders," Kimberly replied, and with that they tore off from the control room en route to save Angel Grove. Fully morphed, they rocketed through space atop their gliders on a trip to Earth that was over in a matter of minutes. Once on the ground, Kimberly did not hesitate to summon the Zords with the call of, "Mega Voyager transformation, online, now!"

"Can we still pilot the Voyager without Jason and Tommy here?" asked Zack as the Zords came into view.

Kimberly nodded. "For individual use, they need someone inside to control them, but they'll still react to the transformation order and then I'll be able to take over once we're inside the Mega Voyager's cockpit."

"Well then let's do it," said Zack.

And they did, leaping into their Zords as they instantly began to mold themselves into the many pieces that eventually came together and formed the Mega Voyager. Inside the cockpit, the Rangers stared Electrotramp down.

"Oh look, a big giant robot. I'm sooo scared," said Electrotramp, his voice robotic and muffled as though he was gargling. "I'm turning the lights out on this town and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"We'll see about that!" Kimberly replied, her hands grasping the controls that moved the Mega Voyager towards the monster. "V3 Missile Mode, initiate!"

With a blinding flash of blue light the remaining piece of Zack's Zord appeared in the firm grasp of the Mega Voyager's right hand. As the giant robot walked towards its' target, Electrotramp extended his arms horizontally, channeling a rush of electricity from a nearby building which he then hurled in continuous waves at the Mega Voyager, causing it to seize and shake.

"He's draining our power!" said Zack.

"Activate the backup generators," Kimberly replied, trying to think of a way to break free from this electrical force field.

Zack shook his head as the Mega Voyager slowly crumpled to the ground. "We're already using the backup generators, Kim."

"Shit," Kimberly mumbled, the rare utterance of a curse word garnering her teammate's surprise for a moment. "We can't abandon ship or we'll get fried."

"So what do we do?" asked Trini, she and Zack both looking to Kimberly for leadership.

The truth was that Kimberly didn't know what to do. There was seemingly no way to escape their electric prison, but she could not let her teammates know that she had no clue what they were supposed to do.

"We—" Kimberly started, but she never got the chance to finish.

From behind Electrotramp came a loud, thunderous rumbling. Moments later a massive black vehicle somewhere in between a tank and an eighteen wheeler appeared a few hundred feet behind the monster, heading straight for its back. Electrotramp was elevated on impact, flipping backwards through the air as he released his hold on the Mega Voyager.

"We're free!" yelled Zack excitedly.

Beneath her helmet, Kimberly breathed a deep sigh of relief. "How long until we're back online, guys?"

"A minute tops," Trini replied, Kimberly nodding as a new voice entered their cockpit.

"_Does this prove that I am not your enemy?"_

Immediately recognizing the voice Kimberly's eyes widened in surprise. "Phantom Ranger," she murmured.

"Guess he really is on our side," said Zack.

"Thanks for the help, Phantom Ranger," added Kimberly.

"_You are most welcome, Rangers. May the Power protect you; always."_

The Phantom Ranger's Zord quickly went into reverse, backing over Electrotramp who had been struggling to get back onto his feet and ended up face down on the ground once more as a result of the departing attack. It was more than enough time for the Mega Voyager to recuperate its' lost power and return to a standing position.

"Let's end this guy once and for all," said Kimberly. Her thumb hovered dangerously close to the red button atop her control stick, but she forced herself to wait until Electrotramp was standing. Once he was on his feet, though, it was all systems go. "V3 Missile, fire!"

She pressed the button and watched along with Zack and Trini as the Blue Ranger's Zord was fired in a powerful eruption that sent it speeding towards Electrotramp. The monster didn't have time to react before the missile connected with his chest, causing it to explode on impact into thousands of tiny little pieces as the Mega Voyager posed victoriously for a few moments.

"Yes!" shouted Zack, clapping one time before exchanging high fives with his teammates. "Good work, guys."

Kimberly nodded. "Let's get back to the _Shadow Rider _and see if Alpha had any luck helping Tommy find Jason."

Seconds' later beams of pink, blue, and yellow energy shot through the eyes of the Mega Voyager and into the depths of outer space, the giant robot disassembling and teleporting away shortly thereafter. As soon as the Rangers arrived in the ship's control room, Kimberly was rushing to Alpha's side, removing her helmet at the same time.

"Have you been able to locate Jason, Alpha?" asked Kimberly.

"Yes, I was able to precisely pinpoint Jason's whereabouts and I relayed his location to Tommy," Alpha replied, Kimberly smiling proudly. "Unfortunately, their individual energy readings have been in the same place for almost twenty minutes."

"That means they aren't moving," murmured Zack, he and Trini now helmetless as well as they stood behind Kimberly.

"Which means something bad has happened," whispered Kimberly, wincing visibly at the possibility. "We need to get to the Dark Fortress right away. Alpha, I need to know exactly where it's located."

Alpha nodded in understanding. "The Dark Fortress is precisely one-point-three parsecs away to the northeast from Redna 2."

Without hesitation, Kimberly tucked her helmet against her side and brought her free hand to her belt as Zack and Trini instinctively fell into position behind her. "Let's go save our friends; back to action!"

--

In the dungeons of the Dark Fortress, Jason was no longer alone; now Tommy had joined his friend in shackled captivity, struggling to break free from their chains as Goldar watched them from a distance and laughed, showing them their stolen Morphers. Their wounds were many, the pair of men shirtless and covered in patches of blood both wet and dry.

Tommy had been captured and imprisoned by the Alliance, specifically Rito Revolto and an army of Tenga Warriors, just moments after sneaking onto the Dark Fortress. His face, like Jason's, was littered with pain, but neither man had stopped trying to escape since Tommy was thrown in as an added bonus for Goldar.

Jason had been nearing his breaking point shortly before Tommy's arrival, but seeing his friend in danger had given him a second wind of sorts. The same could be said for Tommy whose motivation to escape was only increased at the sight of his bleeding best friend. Like they had done so very many times in the past, Tommy and Jason were unknowingly keeping each other from slipping away into nothingness.

"We have to find a way to get out of here, bro," Tommy muttered under his breath, each and every one of his muscles burning from the pain that Goldar's hands, feet, and sword had inflicted upon them.

"You're preaching to the choir right now, T, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but these things," Jason replied, shaking his head as he yanked the chains, "aren't going anywhere any time soon."

"Just have faith, Jase," said Tommy confidently. "These things always have a way of working themselves out in the end."

Jason nodded. "You're right; I'm sure the other Rangers are on their way."

"They have to be," whispered Tommy, thoughts of Kimberly and their fleeting kiss creeping into his psyche. He could still taste her lips on his, and it was at that moment he decided that he never wanted another woman to kiss him again. Wearing a half grin despite his injuries, he slowly turned his head to Jason. "She kissed me, bro. Right before I left the ship she kissed me."

Jason's eyes grew wide. "Kim?" he asked rhetorically, Tommy nodding. "Shit man, we gotta get you out of here. There's no way I'm letting that one go down in flames again."

And with that, Jason jerked at the chains once more to no avail. This time, however, he wasn't discouraged when the shackles remained in place, and instead continued his attempts at breaking out.

"Foolish humans!" yelled Goldar, pointing his sword at the two men. "You'll never escape the Dark Fortress!"

Tommy opened his mouth for a comeback, but was silenced by a new, fourth voice. It came from directly in front of he and Jason, but there was no one there.

"Remain silent, Rangers," said the voice, Tommy and Jason sharing a look of disbelief. A rush of invisible energy washed over the pair and suddenly the shackles were gone causing both men to fall the short distance to the floor. "Go with the shining light of Zordon and let the Power protect you always."

And then he was gone as well, the Phantom Ranger disappearing as quickly as he had come. Goldar, however, was quick to replace the mysterious Ranger's presence when he saw that Tommy and Jason had been freed.

"Trust him now?" asked Tommy, gingerly rising to his feet as Jason did the same, both nursing their battered and bruised bodies.

"I don't really have much choice, do I?" Jason grumbled in reply.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Great attitude, Jase," he said teasingly, patting his friend on the back. "You're a real sweetheart, you know that?"

Before Jason could say any more the heavy pounding of Goldar's feet slapping against the hard floor reached their ears, rapidly growing closer. They looked to their left to see the winged Titan running straight towards them, his sword drawn at the ready.

"The idiot left the Morphers unguarded," Jason muttered in disbelief, Tommy sharing a similar expression. "Goldar is mine this time, bro."

Tommy nodded. "I'll get the Morphers."

"Let's go," said Jason.

Both men charged at Goldar who readied himself for two attackers, but at the last moment Tommy launched into a graceful front flip over the head of Astronema's new general. As soon as his feet touched the floor, Tommy was running in the direction of the Morphers and, with the release of Jason's rage that had been bottled and buried for so long there wasn't a thing that Goldar could do about it.

The winged Titan was on the defensive immediately, struggling to block the flurry of attacks that Jason threw at him. The pang of Jason's hands and feet slamming against Goldar's metallic armor filled the room as he connected with a forearm to Goldar's chest and sent him stumbling backwards with a snapping roundhouse kick to the shoulder.

"Come on!" Jason yelled, his face burning red as he beat his fist against his chest. Grunting, he started running at full speed towards Goldar and threw his body into a back flip kick that saw Jason's foot slam hard into the winged general's face. Instantly, blood the darkest shade of crimson imaginable began to trickle from Goldar's nose. "Look at you; you bleed just like a human. You're pathetic."

Jason spat on the ground as Goldar struggled to get back on his feet. Honor bound, Jason did not continue his attack until Goldar had risen, but as soon as he was up he was back down again, this time by a tornado kick to the side of his head. Goldar went down in a heap, unflinching as he lied with his discarded sword nearby.

Picking up Goldar's sword, Jason stood tall over him and with closed eyes raised the weapon high above his head. At the peak of elevation he took a deep breath, moments away from plunging the sword right into Goldar's chest when the sound of an extremely loud commotion reached him. He turned his head slightly to see Tommy running towards him with both of their Morphers in hand and at least fifty foot soldiers of all varieties following in hot pursuit.

"Gotta run," said Tommy, tossing Jason his Morpher as he sprinted passed him.

In one fluent motion Jason dropped Goldar's sword, grabbed his Morpher, and started running after Tommy. As they ran towards a sealed door both men strapped the Morphers on their wrists, Tommy leading the call.

"Let's Rocket!" he yelled, the pair morphing in flashes of red and black light.

Simultaneously they launched into flying side kicks that connected with the door, leaving it heavily dented but still in their way. With the Putties, Tengas, Cogs, and Quantrons growing closer and closer, Tommy and Jason kicked the metal door again and again and again until finally it snapped at the hinges, but the foot soldiers were now just a couple of feet away from catching them.

Tommy and Jason burst into a long, dark hallway, their legs moving as fast as the Power would allow them to go. Down the hall they went with no idea as to where they were supposed to be going. Right now their biggest concern was staying alive; finding an exit, while undoubtedly important, was a secondary objective for the moment.

Looking over his shoulder, Jason turned to Tommy and shook his head. "We're not making much headway, bro!"

Tommy turned his head back and winced, the foot soldiers still dangerously close to catching them as they turned a corner and started down another long stretch of hallway. It seemed like they'd been running forever when they reached an open door only to be stopped when Ecliptor appeared seemingly from out of nowhere to block their path.

"You may have been able to get passed Goldar, but defeating me will not be so easy," said the cyborg, his sword drawn as he walked towards Tommy and Jason.

Knowing that the foot soldiers were approaching rapidly, the look the two men shared was fleeting at best, but it was all that was necessary for them to form a quick plan. They ran at diagonals, crossing paths as they approached the hallway's walls and jumped towards them.

Pushing off the walls they launched themselves at Ecliptor, connecting with simultaneous kicks to the cyborg's chest. Ecliptor went down to the ground while Tommy and Jason started running once more.

"So much for being harder that Goldar, huh?" said Tommy jokingly, blasts of energy from Ecliptor's sword suddenly whizzing passed them.

"Let's hope you didn't speak too soon," Jason replied.

Moments later they turned another corner only to be knocked down when they collided with something, or rather someone; three someone's to be exact. As he clambered back onto his feet, Jason doing the same, Tommy's mouth fell open in surprise when he saw Kimberly, Zack, and Trini laid out on the floor.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Tommy, moving with Jason to help them up.

"Alpha said your energy readings weren't moving so we thought you might need a little help," Kimberly answered, smiling beneath her helmet as Tommy pulled her up. Looking over his shoulder, she saw the foot soldiers running towards them. "And judging by the stampede approaching, I'd say you do."

"I sure hope you have some kind of an exit strategy, Kim," Jason interjected as they all started running back towards where Kimberly, Zack, and Trini had come from.

Kimberly shrugged. "You could call it that."

Tommy rolled his eyes behind his helmet's shielding visor. "Why don't I like the way that sounds?"

"Probably because it involves us doing something like this," answered Kimberly, diving headfirst towards the row of windows on her left. The glass shattered all around the remaining Rangers as they ran to the broken window, three of them looking down to find Kimberly falling wildly through the darkness of space, Tommy following after her without hesitation. "Galaxy Glider, hang ten!"

Tommy called for his own glider seconds later, landing atop the board shortly after Kimberly had done the same. "You're freaking crazy, you know that!?" he yelled.

Kimberly just smiled as she looked back with Tommy to see Jason and Trini diving out the window and summoning their gliders. It took a little while longer for Zack to appear, and she knew that he had waited until the last possible moment before the foot soldier's caught up with him to debate whether or not jumping into outer space was worth it.

"Why can't we ever leave somewhere normally?" Zack called out as he leaned forward heavily on the glider to catch up with the other Rangers.

"We weren't exactly there for tea and crumpets, Zack," Jason replied. "I don't think Astronema was going to let us use the front door."

"Good point," said Zack, swerving wildly as something slammed into the back of his glider.

Smoke poured from the glider as the other Rangers looked back to see at least half a dozen Cog-piloted Quadrofighters flying straight towards them. Blasts of spiraled energy were sent their way, the Rangers struggling to avoid them while trying to reach Zack. Through the melee, Tommy was somehow able to break free and started on a clear path to the Blue Ranger who, with arms flailing, was barely managing to stay atop his out of control glider.

Getting as close to Zack as was possible Tommy toed the edge of his glider and reached out, but Zack was moving far too much to get a hold on. "Come on, Zack. Try and stay still," he said encouragingly, reaching out again to no avail.

It was mere luck that a Cog with bad aim had targeted Zack, the unseen blast rocketing into the side of the blue glider and throwing its' rider right at Tommy. Unfortunately, the blast also sent the glider hurtling towards Tommy as well.

"Oh shit," murmured Tommy. Without thinking he jumped from his board, flipping backwards to avoid Zack's glider. His feet touched down safely, and in one quick motion he dropped to his knees and turned around, reaching out to catch the wrist of a free falling Zack. "You really gotta learn to fly, man."

"That time wasn't my fault," Zack muttered in reply as Tommy pulled him onto the red glider. "Thanks for the save though."

Tommy nodded. "Anytime," he said, looking back to see Kimberly firing energy arrows at every Quadrofighter she could set her sights on. "Kim, come on! We gotta get out of here!"

"I already sent Jason and Trini back to the ship!" Kimberly yelled, her focus on the Quadrofighters never wavering. "You and Zack go! I'll take care of these guys!"

"Bullshit," Tommy muttered under his breath, turning to Zack. "You know I can't leave her here by herself, right?"

Sighing, Zack nodded. "Yeah, I know. What do you need me to do?"

"As soon as I get close enough to her glider to jump, get the hell out of here," Tommy replied, the glider's thrusters roaring as he turned it sharply in Kimberly's direction. He pulled up to the rear end of her glider and jumped onto it, landing behind her as he looked back at Zack. "We'll meet you back at the ship; go!"

Nodding, Zack turned the glider around and started after Jason and Trini. Firing another round of arrows, Kimberly looked over her shoulder at him. "What are you doing? I told you to go back to the ship."

"Call it insubordination then," Tommy replied, slipping around her to take control of the glider.

"What are you doing?" demanded Kimberly.

She tried to push passed him, but Tommy refused to let her by. "You can be mad if you want," he told her defiantly, kicking the glider into a hard, one-hundred and eighty degree turn. "But I'm not going to let you make that kiss on the ship the last one we ever have."

Had Tommy disobeyed her orders for any other reason than the one that he had given to her, Kimberly likely would have been furious with him. But just like always, Tommy knew exactly what to say to put a smile on her face regardless of the situation that they were in. Instinctively, her arms went around Tommy's waist as they tore off en route to the _Shadow Rider_, the Cogs still following after them.

"You still should have listened to me," argued Kimberly teasingly.

"Yeah, well don't tell me to do stupid things and I will," Tommy replied, he and Kimberly both trying to formulate a way to escape the pursuing Cogs who continued to fire relentlessly at the pair of Rangers.

Rolling her eyes, Kimberly returned to barraging the Quadrofighters with energy arrows while Tommy focused on piloting the glider. Through hairpin turns, sudden up and down movements, and a multitude of other evasive maneuvers that Tommy executed, Kimberly never once feared for her safety. She had all the trust in the world in Tommy, knowing that he wouldn't do anything to put her in danger.

Aiming at a nearby Quadrofighter she drew back on the bowstring and released, watching with surprise when it actually hit its intended target. The arrow pierced right through the Cog's metal forehead, causing the small space craft to swerve out of control and into another Quadrofighter, both ships exploding on impact.

"Yes, bulls-eye!" she yelled, pumping her fist excitedly. "Two down, five to go."

"Nice shooting, Kim," Tommy murmured, his eyes suddenly growing wide as he realized what they were rapidly approaching. "Kim, I uh, I think you might want to turn around now."

"What? Why?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. "Oh shit, is that an—"

"Asteroid field," they both said in unison.

Tommy took hold of Kimberly's free arm and pulled it around his waist. "Lose the bow and hang on tight," he told her. "I'm gonna get us through this."

Kimberly nodded and dismissed her weapon, holding onto Tommy's midsection with as much strength as she could muster. She spared only the most fleeting of glimpses behind them, her mouth falling open in disbelief as the Cogs followed them right into the asteroid field with no concern at all for their own personal safety.

"These guys don't know when to quit," muttered Kimberly, shaking her head

Tommy looked at the Cogs and nodded. "They're about as stupid as Rita's old Putties were. Let's see how they like this, though!"

He banked the glider hard to the left, avoiding by inches another giant asteroid. He didn't need to look back again to know that the floating boulder had taken out at least two more of the Cogs and their Quadrofighters; the thunderous sound of multiple explosions coming from behind him was more than enough confirmation.

"That was awesome, Tommy," said Kimberly, smiling proudly.

"Thanks," Tommy replied, looking back at her as multiple blasts of energy whizzing passed them, "but we're not out of it, yet."

Tommy didn't know how right he was.

"Duck!" yelled Kimberly.

She pulled Tommy down into a low squat with her just in time to narrowly avoid an asteroid flying over their heads. Staring at Kimberly through his visor, Tommy smiled and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"That was close," he murmured, "thanks, Kim."

"You can thank me when we get back to the ship," Kimberly replied, wearing a grin so wicked that Tommy could practically hear it.

By the time that the asteroid field came to its' sudden end minutes later, the barely visible _Shadow Rider_ looming in the distance, only one lone Quadrofighter remained. Tommy's heart pounded against his chest, his adrenaline pumping from their high speed escape as Kimberly took out the final Cog with a well aimed arrow.

Tommy looked at Kimberly and found himself surprised by what he was feeling. From the moment he first met her in the hallways of Angel Grove High School he had always cared about her in a way that transcended friendship. While they were together he had experienced the same desires that every teenaged male with a beautiful girlfriend had, but they had never consumed him as greatly as they did now.

When they arrived safely in the hangars of the _Shadow Rider_, Kimberly remover her helmet, hopped off the glider, and immediately started for the control room in search of the other Rangers, but Tommy had other plans. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in close to him as he took off his helmet, long, curly, brown locks falling wildly about his shoulders.

Kimberly started to say something but Tommy cut her off, pressing his lips to hers as his arm slipped around her waist. She tried to resist, her head telling her that the safety of her friends was more important than making out with Tommy, but she couldn't stop. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him over and over again; and so she did, melting into Tommy's embrace as her arms slinked behind his neck. Only when the need to breathe became too much did she regretfully tear her lips away from his.

"We have to find the others," she told him in between deep, heavy breaths.

"They're fine, Kim," Tommy whispered.

He moved in for another kiss, but Kimberly stopped him with a hand to his chest. "What makes you so sure?"

Sighing, Tommy turned his body to the side so that Kimberly could see the red, black, and yellow gliders all lined up on the floor a few feet away from where the pink Galaxy Glider rested. When he looked at Kimberly and smirked, she rolled her eyes.

"Come here," said Tommy. Taking her hand, he pulled her in once more, this time turning her body around so her back was pressed against his chest. He gently brushed some of the hair away from her neck and proceeded to place a series of soft kisses on her tender flesh.

Kimberly couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips, nor could she control her hands as they reached back and wrapped themselves behind Tommy's neck, her fingertips running through the hair she had always loved to play with.

"Oh god, Tommy," she whispered, her heels rising and back arching as soft chills ran up and down her spine.

"Power down," Tommy murmured against her neck, the remainder of their uniforms disappearing in flashes of red and pink light.

"Would you think less of me if I told you I want to go to my room?" asked Kimberly, turning around to face him with eyes that twinkled mischievously.

"Is that an invitation or a way out?" Tommy questioned.

Kimberly took one of his hands and stepped in as close to Tommy as was possible, toying with the hem of his shirt. "What do you think?" she asked, winking while wearing a sly grin.

"I think I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone in my life," Tommy replied.

In one quick motion he wrapped his arm around Kimberly's waist and lifted her off of her feet. Her arms slipped around his neck, her ankles crossed behind his back as their lips met passionately once again. He carried her just like that through the hallways and up the stairs of the _Shadow Rider_, neither caring if any or all of their friends happened to see them.

Their kiss broke only for the briefest of moments when they reached the door to her personal quarters, Kimberly hastily slapping her hand all over the wall until she finally managed to hit the small red button that caused the door to slide open with a low hiss. Tommy walked into the room and laid her down softly on the bed, hovering over her as she struggled to remove his shirt.

Smiling, Tommy leaned back and started to pull at his shirt for her.

"This isn't your first time, is it?" asked Kimberly, leaning back on her elbows.

"Nope," Tommy replied, tossing his shirt to the floor, "Yours?"

Almost blushing, Kimberly shook her head. "I hate that Kat got to you first."

Staring deeply into her doe brown eyes, Tommy took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Finders keepers, Kim," he told her with a smile. "Besides, would you rather be the first one or the last one?"

A huge grin spread wide across her lips. She had dreamed of this day so many times before, but she'd never imagined it being anything like this, and it was with those thoughts in mind that it all finally hit her.

"This doesn't seem real," she whispered, closing her eyes as she ran her fingertips up and down the side of his arm. "But that's how I know it is."

--


	6. A Brief Encounter

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter 6 – A Brief Encounter**_

_**Original Posting Date: November, 2008**_

When her eyes fluttered open a few hours later, darkness surrounding her entirely, Kimberly's first thought upon returning to the world of the living was that once again it had all been a very detailed dream. But the intimate touch of Tommy's fingertips on her naked abdomen coupled with his slow, steady breathing tickling against the back of her neck told her that each and every wonderful moment had been real.

If that wasn't enough confirmation, the aching in her muscles as she blinked away the darkness was currently reminding her of how long it had been since the last time she and Blake had been together. Quietly she crawled out of Tommy's embrace and onto her feet, searching the mound of clothes on the floor until she found his red tee shirt, which she pulled on with a smile at the way it hung well passed her knees.

Each tiptoed step towards the door was a constant reminder of the long, passionate night that she and Tommy had shared. It had been more amazing than she could have ever imagined, but right now she just needed to put some space between them to think about what had happened earlier.

As she reached the door she stopped and turned around, silently admiring Tommy's sleeping form. He seemed so at peace in her bed, his hair strewn wildly about the pillow he rested his head on, the sheets barely offering him any cover at all.

Part of her wanted to stay, to crawl back in bed with Tommy and fall asleep in his arms once more, but so many confused thoughts raced through her head and she knew that she needed desperately to get away. Deep down she was confident that this night had meant more to Tommy than just casual sex, but she'd also made a promise to herself and that promise had been broken as soon as she'd granted him access to her room.

She slipped out of her quarters without notice, Tommy never stirring from his deep sleep as the door slid shut behind her. The hallway's dimly illuminated lights guided her path as she made her way towards the cafeteria, the total silence around her telling her that everyone else was sleeping as well.

Her trip to the small mess hall was a short one, lasting only long enough for Kimberly to retrieve a steaming mug of raspberry flavored hot chocolate from the Meal Machine before she was on the move again with thoughts of Tommy fresh in her mind. She didn't stop until she reached the _Shadow Rider's_ observation deck, gazing out through one of the windows upon a myriad of vibrantly shining stars.

Even the complicated, never ending reaches of space seemed so simple in comparison to what she was feeling now. She was as scared and confused as she was happy and utterly satisfied. Her wildest dreams had come true, but at the same time she didn't have a clue what that meant for her and Tommy.

Were they a couple now? Did he love her the way she loved him, or had it been just years of pent up desires that had finally reached their boiling point in the form of one incredibly amazing night?

She didn't know, and more than anything Kimberly hated not knowing, especially when it came to the direction her life was going. Sipping her cocoa, Kimberly both cursed and relished the situation she was now in. A line had been crossed earlier, and one way or another things between she and Tommy were never going to be the same. The jury was still out on whether or not those changes would be for the better, though.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Kim?" she asked herself in a quiet murmur, shaking her head as she stared into the depths of outer space.

"My shirt by the looks of it."

Kimberly jumped at the intruding voice, waves of hot chocolate spilling from the mug as she turned to find Tommy leaning against the doorjamb, clad only in a pair of red boxer shorts. His appearance caused a subconscious smile to cross her lips almost instantly.

"It looks good on you, by the way," he added, winking as he slowly started towards her.

"How did you know I'd be here?" asked Kimberly, watching his movements intently.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I just had a feeling," he replied with a helpless smile. "Why'd you leave?"

"Did I wake you?" she asked, acting as though she hadn't heard Tommy's question.

"Sort of," Tommy answered honestly, knowing that she didn't want to do the same. "I heard something moving and when I reached for you…you weren't there."

She beamed brightly, uncaring if Tommy knew how happy and warm it made her feel to hear him say that. Nodding once, she stole another sip from the ceramic pink mug as Tommy stopped next to her. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

Furrowing his brow, Tommy shook her apology off dismissively. "Don't be," he told her. "I just hope this isn't something you do every night or I'll never sleep decently again."

Kimberly's mouth fell open in surprise. There it was, Tommy's admittance that he didn't want their night to be a one-time thing. "E-every night?" she stammered, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.

Tommy nodded. "Unless you regret what happened, that is."

"Do you?" asked Kimberly, trying her best to deflect the attention away from herself.

"I asked you first," said Tommy, folding his arms across his chest defiantly. "This isn't high school, Kim, and we aren't kids anymore so stop avoiding it and just answer the question, alright?"

Kimberly sighed and nodded. "I don't regret anything we did, Tommy. I'm just scared of what it all means."

Chuckling, Tommy ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. "Of course you're scared, Beautiful. You're not the only one, either," he said softly, touching the side of Kimberly's arm as her expression suddenly changed. "What's wrong?"

It took a few moments for Kimberly to regain enough presence of mind to answer him, and when she did it was in a hoarse whisper. "You called me Beautiful."

If Kimberly had been confused before, Tommy was downright bewildered now. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked, a dumbfounded expression upon his face.

Smiling slightly, Kimberly shook her head. "No, Tommy, it's not. I just haven't heard it in so long that for a second there I forgot how nice it felt to hear you call me that," she answered, gazing deeply into his chocolate colored eyes. "Tell me what you're scared of."

"What do you mean?" questioned Tommy.

"You said you weren't the only one who's scared," Kimberly replied. "I want you to tell me what you're scared of.

Swallowing hard, Tommy sighed nervously. "I'm scared that I'll get too close only to wake up one morning and find that you aren't there. The only thing that's ever scared me about you is the possibility of losing you; and honestly, I don't think my heart could deal with losing you again. That's what scares me…more than anything."

Kimberly nodded her understanding. "No one can promise tomorrow today, Tommy," she said softly. "The only thing I can promise you is that I won't ever make the same mistake again."

"I know you won't, Kim. I can see it in your eyes," Tommy replied, reaching out and taking her hand. "Even when I tried so hard not to love you, I still did. Fate stepped in and pushed us apart once before, but it also pulled us back together, and that made me realize something; as scared as loving you makes me feel inside, I don't ever want to love anyone else. And honestly, I don't think I'll ever be able to love anyone in the world as much as I love you."

With a sigh, Kimberly turned her back to Tommy and started pacing.

"I've hated myself every day for what I did to you and to us. I'd wake up and just cry because I knew how badly I had hurt you and because I'd found a way to ruin the single best thing to ever happen to me," Kimberly murmured, clutching her mug tightly in both hands. Tommy stepped up behind her and placed a hand on each shoulder, rubbing them gently. "When I saw you on Murianthis, I knew I still loved you and I've spent every day since then praying for us to find a way back into each other's lives. Now that it's not just a dream anymore, part of me feels like I don't really deserve it."

Wincing, Tommy stepped around her and lifted her chin with his thumb so that she was forced to meet his eyes. "We're never going to have a chance to make this work if you keep thinking like that," he said softly. "I'm standing here right now, looking you in the eyes, and saying I don't give two shits about what happened in the past. Do you think I would have let last night happen if I was still pining over something from two years ago? We've both changed a lot in two years and I'm not in love with the Kimberly from high school, I'm in love with the Kimberly from today. Which Tommy are you in love with?"

Kimberly's answer did not come through speech, but in the form of a passionate kiss to Tommy's lips, her hands cupping his cheeks. When she pulled away, her cheeks were rosy red as she looked up at him with a flustered smile.

"I'm in love with _you_, Tommy," she whispered, gently caressing the side of his face, "the man you are today, and the boy you once were. We might be different than we used to be; we've both done a lot of growing these past two years, but one thing that has never changed is how much I love you."

Tommy smiled as he ran his fingertips through her soft auburn locks, tucking a few loose strands behind her ear. "I want you to know something," he murmured, Kimberly nodding with a curious expression. "Regardless of where we go or what happens to us in the future, last night will always be one of the most amazing nights of my entire life."

"Me too," Kimberly replied, blushing. "But I still hate that Kat got to you first."

With a chuckle, Tommy rolled his eyes. "I know you do, and I'm not exactly thrilled about this Blake character, either, but it is what it is and there's nothing either one of us can do about it. Look at the plus side, though. At least we both knew what we were doing. Isn't that better than it being awkward 'cause we're both sex-retarded?"

"Wow, you put that so eloquently, Tommy," said Kimberly sarcastically, Tommy smiling. "But yes, I guess it was better this way. Now there's something I want you to know, as well."

With raised eyebrows, Tommy wore a thoughtful look on his face. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "What's that?"

Smiling wickedly, Kimberly crossed her hands at the bottom of Tommy's tee shirt. "I don't want to wear your shirt anymore."

Tommy watched with his eyes wide and mouth agape as Kimberly slowly pulled the shirt over her head, revealing inch by inch the body that last night he'd deemed as close to perfect as was humanly possible. While Katherine had been the stereotypical image of beauty—tall, blonde, a chest that turned heads, and an ass that made the men those turned heads belonged to run into things—he could not picture anyone being more beautiful than the woman standing before him right now.

It pained him to have to turn down the image of near perfection with a sad shake of his head. "Last night was amazing, but it shouldn't have happened," he muttered, the shock evident on Kimberly's face as Tommy smacked himself in the forehead. "That sounded a lot worst than I meant for it to."

"What exactly did you mean?" asked Kimberly, her shock turning to anger almost instantly.

Pausing to gather his thoughts, Tommy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering her. "What I mean was that we were both pretty careless. I didn't wear any protection and you've been up here alone for two months so I think it's safe to assume that you aren't on any sort of birth control. I don't know about you, but I don't really think either one of us is ready for a little Tommy or Kimberly running around; do you?"

Sighing, Kimberly shook her head and reached down to pick up his tee shirt from the floor, her hardened expression disappearing as she pulled the garment back on. "You said the one thing that could have saved you," she told him, a relieved smile crossing Tommy's lips. "But as punishment, I'm making you pay for the first round of birth control. The Walgreen's on East Flagler Street in Miami should still have all my information on file so you can take me there in an hour."

"Do we have enough time for that before we get to Phaedos?" asked Tommy.

Kimberly raised her eyes to the ceiling as she asked, "DECA, how long until we reach Phaedos?"

"_Approximate arrival time to Phaedos is five standard hours, Kimberly."_

"Plenty of time," Kimberly said to Tommy. "You can buy me lunch while we're waiting."

"Oh joy," Tommy muttered sarcastically. Slapping his shoulder playfully, Kimberly pointed a warning finger at him. "Can I claim domestic abuse if we aren't married?"

Kimberly laughed. "Yeah, I'd love to hear you explain that one to the cops. 'Hey, I'm six-feet tall, chiseled like a statue, have a black belt in karate, and I want to report my girlfriend who's all of five-foot-two and weighs a hundred and five pounds for abuse.' Yep, I'm sure that'd go over _real_ well."

"Damn," said Tommy, hands on his hips in defeat. "There's not a whole lot I can really say to that, is there?"

Kimberly shook her head. "Nope, that's why I'm the best at what I do," she replied, starting a slow saunter towards the door. She looked back only long enough to remind Tommy that he now had fifty-six minutes left to get ready and then she was gone.

Once the room was empty, Tommy looked down sadly. "Sorry, buddy," he murmured, "but better safe than sorry."

And with that, he too left the observation room, opting for a quick shower followed by some breakfast before he had to tromp around Miami with Kimberly. As he started down the long hallway, though, something made him stop and raise his eyes towards the ceiling.

"DECA," he started, silently wondering if the _Shadow Rider's_ computer answered everyone or just Kimberly. "What time is it on Earth right now?"

"_Where on Earth, Tommy?" _asked DECA.

"America," he answered, "Eastern Time Zone."

"_It is precisely seven fifty-seven p.m."_

"And what time is it where we are right now?" asked Tommy.

"_Time in space is much different than time on a colonized world, Tommy. The approximate time is six forty-eight a.m., but it is theoretically impossible to give you a precise time."_

"Unbelievable. I should be sleeping right now," Tommy muttered, shaking his head as he started walking again. "The things I do for love, DECA; the things I do for love."

It was twenty minutes later when he stepped out of his personal quarters, freshly showered and dressed in a pair of red board shorts patterned with white flowers, a red muscle shirt, and black flip-flops. The sunglasses Kimberly had bought for him hung around his neck, his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail as he headed for the cafeteria.

He froze on the spot, letting out a hearty laugh when he saw an extremely groggy Jason sitting at one of the tables, his hair matted down wildly as he gazed down into a mug of steaming coffee with glazed eyes, wrapped in a black bath robe. At the sound of Tommy's laugh, Jason looked up and nodded to acknowledge him but did not speak.

"You look like hell, bro," said Tommy, shaking his head with a chuckle as he headed for the Meal Machine. Standing in front of the machine, he looked over his shoulder at Jason. "Does this thing really make whatever you ask it to?" he asked, Jason grunting his confirmation. "In that case I'll have a strawberry waffle, two scrambled eggs with cheese, a couple sausage links, and two pieces of wheat toast with grape jelly."

"Pretty cool, huh?" muttered Jason as Tommy's meal appeared to the Red Ranger's utter delight.

"Hell yeah, man," Tommy answered, carrying his tray to Jason's table where he sat down across from his friend. "So what's wrong with you, bro? You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

Jason scoffed harmlessly. "It _feels_ like it's been weeks, man, but it was just tonight. This dream I had must have woken me up at least eight or nine times, and every time I fell back asleep I kept having the same stupid dream."

Digging his fork into the pile of eggs in front of him, Tommy nodded in understanding as he raised the utensil to his mouth. He, too, knew what it felt like to have the same awful dream over and over again. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked in between bites.

"There's not a whole lot to talk about," Jason sighed. "I'm standing in that dungeon alone and then suddenly Goldar appears and he has you and the others all tied up on the floor. I try to get to you guys, but it's like there's this invisible wall blocking me. I can't get through and Goldar ends up killing you all right in front of me."

"Wow, that's some dream, bro," said Tommy, sparing a moment to take it all in as he devoured a large piece of waffle. "I wouldn't worry about it too much if I was you, though. I mean, it's just a dream, right?"

Jason shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, man. Have you ever had a dream that seemed so ridiculously real that when you wake up you can't help but feel like it will eventually come true in real life?"

Tommy's nod came without hesitation. "Yup," he replied with a smile. "And it did come true eventually. About six hours ago, in fact."

The sly grin on Tommy's face caused Jason to raise a curious eyebrow. "What are you—" he started, but he didn't need to finish. Suddenly, as the color drained from Jason's face, it all became very, very obvious and a huge smile crossed his lips. "I'm happy for you both but, please, spare me the graphic details."

Tommy laughed. "Don't worry, Jase, I wasn't planning on sharing. I just thought you should be the first to know that Kim and I are getting back together."

"How long has it been since you two discussed this?" Jason asked.

"About forty-five minutes or so, why?" questioned Tommy.

"Then I'm not the first person to know," Jason answered with a chuckle. "If it's been forty-five minutes then you better believe that Kim has already told Trini about it. You know they tell each other everything, man."

Chucking knowingly, Tommy nodded his head. "Well, then I guess you're gonna have to settle for being the first person that _I_ told."

Looking down at his coffee, Jason laughed and took a sip. "I gotta admit, bro; I'm a little bit surprised that it didn't take you longer. I mean, part of me knew that it was only a matter of time, but it's only been a couple of days."

"Yeah, well, what's the point in fighting the inevitable, you know?" Tommy replied, shrugging. "With all of our history together, part of me knew that it was bound to happen, as well, and I'm really glad it did."

Jason smiled. "Me, too, bro; like I said, I'm happy for you both," he replied, Tommy smiling thankfully. "So where are you headed dressed like that? I know you're memory's bad, but spring break was like a month ago."

Tommy laughed at the dig. "Kim wants me to go to Miami with her," he answered, leaving out the unnecessary details.

"What are you going to Miami for?" asked Jason, wearing a confused expression.

"Stuff," Tommy answered, the look on his face telling Jason that he was swiftly approaching some rather dangerous territory. "I'd tell you what we were doing, but that might lead to some graphic details."

Tommy winked, Jason rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you better keep those to yourself. Anyways, man, I'm gonna go catch a shower and hit the gym before we get to Phaedos. I'll catch up with you in a little bit."

"Later, bro," said Tommy, nodding as Jason stood and left the room carrying his coffee mug.

Outside the cafeteria, Jason started towards his personal quarters when Kimberly entered his line of vision after she turned a corner into the hallway. He smiled knowingly as they continued towards each other and stopped once they were side by side, pulling her into a warm hug.

"Congrats, kiddo," whispered Jason, gently patting her back. "I know how long you've waited for this and I couldn't be happier for you."

"Thanks, Jase," Kimberly replied, smiling brightly as she looked towards the cafeteria. "Is he in there?"

"Yep," Jason answered, letting go of his hold on her. "And I gotta tell you, Kim, I can't remember the last time I've seen him look this happy."

Kimberly was all smiles. "Yeah, well the feeling's mutual. Trini pretty much screamed like a wild banshee when I told her."

"That's about what I expected," said Jason, shaking his head with a knowing laugh. "You kids don't be too late now, okay? Don't forget we've got big plans later."

Rolling her eyes, Kimberly swatted Jason's chest playfully. "I'll have you know that I plan on keeping Tommy occupied until the last minute possible."

Jason had to cover his mouth when he literally felt his stomach start to lurch at the mere thought of what Kimberly was implying. "Oh, come on, Kim, you know that you guys are like family to me. I don't want to think about you two doing that stuff."

Laughing, Kimberly started back pedaling towards the cafeteria. "Sex, Jason," she said to him, smirking triumphantly at the nauseous look on the Black Ranger's face, "Lots and lots of hot, steamy sex."

"I hate you so much right now," Jason grumbled, turning to walk away.

"Love you too, Jase!" Kimberly called out after him, Jason shaking his head as he disappeared around the corner. Spinning on her heels, she skipped her way into the cafeteria with a happy smile. At the sound of the door opening, Tommy looked back wearing a similar expression on his face. "You ready to go?"

"Almost done," Tommy replied, indicating the small remainder of his breakfast and then to the open seat next to him. "Come and sit down for a few minutes."

Kimberly willingly obliged; sliding into the empty space, she wrapped her arms around one of Tommy's and rested her head against his shoulder. It was clear that they were in that early stage of a relationship when the only thing they cared about was being close to each other and spending as much time together as possible.

"As much as I love having you on my arm, Beautiful," Tommy murmured, "I'm right handed and it's kind of hard to eat when you're attached to my right arm."

"Why finish your meal when you can just skip straight to dessert?" asked Kimberly in a murmur, tracing slow kisses up the side of his neck. Tommy moaned as she moved her kisses across his cheek before reaching his lips, her final destination.

He responded eagerly, his hands moving Kimberly from her awkward angle so that she now sat on his lap facing him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as they kissed, a hungry, fiery passion slowly boiling inside them. Knowing what this would eventually lead to, though, common sense kicked in and Tommy tore his lips away.

"Later," was his whispered promise, Kimberly pouting her lips which caused him to chuckle slightly. "Come on, let's go," he continued, holding onto her as he rose from his seat before setting her down.

Only when he stood before her did he get his first good look at her since her arrival. She wore a pink denim miniskirt and a white blouse that only had four buttons, leaving her perfectly flat stomach bare.

"What's the matter, Tommy? Cat got your tongue?" she asked, wearing a victorious smile for she knew her outfit had stunned him.

Tommy shook his mind clear. "N-no," he stammered. "You just look so beautiful. Isn't that the outfit you wore the last time we went to Phaedos?"

Kimberly nodded, wearing a surprised look on her face. "I'm impressed that you remembered. I figured good things happened the last time I wore it, so why not wear it again."

"It looks great on you," Tommy replied.

"Thank you," said Kimberly, smiling brightly as she stole a quick kiss. "You don't look so bad yourself, either."

"Oh, you are too kind Ms. Hart," said Tommy, stepping to the side and motioning for Kimberly to lead the way.

They exited the cafeteria side by side, and as soon as they stepped into the hallway Tommy's hand was reaching out for hers. Looking up at him, Kimberly was all smiles as they walked hand in hand down the hall.

"If you're trying to score brownie points, you're off to a damn good start," she told him.

Tommy's face was one of faux shock. "I wasn't aware that I needed to score brownie points."

"You don't," Kimberly replied, pecking a kiss to his bare arm. "But it never hurts to have backup, just in case."

Tommy nodded as Kimberly stopped and squeezed his hand to ensure that he did the same. When she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly, Tommy knew exactly what to do.

Behind her back he reached for his Morpher. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yep," Kimberly replied softly.

"Then let's go," said Tommy, pressing the button on his Morpher that caused them to be consumed in crackling columns of red and pink energy, quickly disappearing from the ship.

Not thirty seconds later Jason came running down the hallway, his face a flushed shade of red as he scoured the ship for his teammates. His heart thumped hard against his chest, his breathing growing heavier and heavier by the second. He skidded to a stop in front of Trini's room, banging his fist on the door.

"Trini, open up!" he yelled, hitting the door one more time before moving on to Zack's door and doing the same. "Yo, Zack, get out here, man! Hurry up!"

Jason jumped around in anxious circles as he waited for them to come out; Trini was the first, stumbling groggily out of her room, wrapped in a yellow robe. "What's going on?" she moaned, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Wait for Zack," said Jason, the Blue Ranger's door opening moments later.

"This better be good," muttered Zack, yawning as he rubbed his eyes.

"It is," Jason replied, turning on his heels. "Come on, you guys have to see this. Follow me."

With that Jason started running back the way he'd come from, Trini and Zack sharing a roll of their eyes before following after him. Looking over his shoulder, Jason slowed his pace so they could catch up to him.

"What's going on, Jase?" asked Zack as they turned a corner.

"I don't know, man," Jason answered, shaking his head. "DECA was telling me about this fight simulation thingy so I went to check it out, but I ended up getting lost. You'll never believe what I found."

"Well, what is it?" asked Trini anxiously.

"Just wait and see for yourselves," said Jason as they started their first step up two flights of stairs. Bursting out of the stairwell, he led them down a long stretch of hallway followed by two quick lefts and a hard right before stopping in front of a shadowy corner where the smallest part of a door was visible. "This is it, guys."

Trini furrowed her brow. "You just randomly stumbled upon the most obscure little corner on the entire ship?"

Jason shrugged. "Like I said, I got lost. Anyway," he replied, reaching for the button to open the door. "Go ahead and see for yourselves."

The barrier slid open with a low hiss, revealing an incredibly dark room lit only by a single dim bulb which hung a few feet down from the ceiling. Hesitantly, Zack and Trini approached the center of the room where the light shone. Trini gasped, her hands flying to her mouth when she saw what was there.

"Oh my God is that—" she started, staring down into what appeared to be some sort of glass coffin.

"Another Ranger?" murmured Zack in disbelief.

Standing in between the pair, Jason nodded. "I'd say so; silver by the looks of it."

The confined body wore a suit almost exactly identical to the one the Rangers wore, only with gold trim and five green squares across the chest as opposed to the five multicolored squares of the other Rangers. Curvy wisps of steam wafted around his body, a thin layer of shimmering ice surrounding the glass case.

"I can't believe it," said Trini, shaking her head. "Do you think Kim knows about this?"

"I don't know," said Jason, shrugging. "But you better believe it's going to be the first thing we talk about when she and Tommy get back."

--

Seated across from Kimberly at a little mom and pop restaurant in Miami was how Tommy found himself twenty minutes after they had visited the drug store. Having already eaten earlier, Tommy nursed a glass of Pepsi while Kimberly, wearing a rather thoughtful expression, picked at a Cuban sandwich and fried plantains.

"What are you thinking?" asked Tommy, sipping his soda through a plastic straw.

Flashing a recuperative smile, Kimberly shook her head. "It's nothing," she answered, waving her hand dismissively. The look on Tommy's face, however, told her that he wasn't buying it. "Tommy, really, it's nothing."

Folding his arms across his chest, Tommy leaned back against the booth's cushion. "Come on, Kim, who do you think you're talking to here? I may be forgetful, but I'd like to think I've known you long enough that I can tell when something's got you. So why not save us both the time and just come out with it?"

Kimberly sighed. "Promise you won't laugh at me or get weirded out."

Tommy chuckled. "I promise, Kim," he replied, holding up two fingers, "Scout's honor."

"Earlier in the observation room, when you said you didn't want a bunch of little Tommy's and Kimberly's running around…it got me thinking," said Kimberly, laughing when Tommy's eyes grew wide. "Don't worry, Tommy. When I said it got me thinking, I didn't say it got me thinking about the present. But I feel like we've known each other so long that, even though we've only been back together for less than a day, talking about our future together isn't so weird."

"I agree completely. So what's on your mind?" Suddenly feeling flushed Kimberly looked away, but her eyes were quickly brought back to Tommy when he reached across the table and took her hand. "Kim, listen, whatever it is you know you can tell me anything."

Taking a deep breath, Kimberly nodded. "It's just…I mean not any time soon or anything, but one day…I wouldn't mind being the mother of your children. Honestly, when we were kids I used to totally daydream about how our lives would be when we got older."

Tommy smiled. "Oh yeah?" he asked, Kimberly nodding. "Well, what'd you see?"

Laughing, Kimberly shook her head. "Oh no, you're not getting me on that one. I caved in and told you I wanted to have your kids, but I am not telling you about my teenaged fantasies."

"Aww, come on, Kim," Tommy replied, pouting his lips with his best puppy dog eyes. "You're not the only one who used to think about the future, you know. How about this, you tell me yours and then I'll tell you mine."

Kimberly rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine, but you're going to think I'm nuts or something," she said, the look in Tommy's eyes telling her that he wouldn't. "I'm warning you it's corny, but here goes. In Ms. Applebee's class, I used to stare at the back of your head and just drift off. We were fresh out of college, both of us having gone to Angel Grove University. We pooled every dime that we had, opened a karate-gymnastics school together, and moved into this tiny little one bedroom apartment."

"Sounds like the perfect fantasy romance," said Tommy teasingly, Kimberly glaring back at him.

"That was just the start of it. I may have been dreaming, but I wasn't naïve," she replied. "I knew it wouldn't be easy at first, but we worked hard; we got by on love and that was all that mattered. This is where it gets corny, though. Eventually the school was able to turn a profit and we bought that house on Cherry Drive that we always used to walk by."

"The one you grew up in?" asked Tommy.

Kimberly nodded. "Your newfound memory impresses me more and more every minute," she answered with a laugh. "Anyways, a few months after we moved into the house I got pregnant. We had twin boys that came out looking just like their father."

"What were their names?" asked Tommy, Kimberly furrowing her brow in confusion. "You don't mean to tell me you had these elaborate dreams for our future and didn't even pick out the names of our kids, do you?"

"No, no, I did," Kimberly replied, shaking her head. "I just wasn't really expecting you to ask, that's all. Thomas James, Jr. was born first, at eleven thirteen in the morning, and Jeffrey Jason came eight minutes later."

Wearing a look that was somewhere in between disbelief and awe, Tommy ran his hand through his hair. "Wow," he murmured. "That's uh, that's a lot more detailed than what I was expecting. I have to be honest with you; I don't think mine lives up to yours."

Kimberly just laughed. "That's not even all of it, but I'm sure you get the gist of it. Now it's your turn." Now it was Tommy's turn to look embarrassed, his neck feeling increasingly warm. "You're not backing out of this one, Tommy. I told you my little daydreams now hold up your end of the deal and tell me yours."

"It's stupid," Tommy muttered, looking away.

"Hey, look at me," said Kimberly, squeezing his hand until Tommy did so. "There's nothing you can say that I would think of as stupid. I might think it's silly or funny or sweet, but it can't be stupid if it's coming from your heart."

Sighing, Tommy nodded. "The dreams I had are probably completely different than what anyone would ever expect from me but, uh, I kind of thought about going to school and maybe becoming a teacher."

Kimberly sputtered, coughing mid-bite as her hand flew to her mouth to prevent the half chewed plantain from spilling out. "A teacher?" she asked in total surprise, Tommy nodding. "You're right, that's the last thing I expected. What made you want to do that?"

"I dunno," said Tommy, shrugging. "I know I never really showed it, but I was always interested in the Dino Zords, not just the way they worked and the science involved in creating them, but the real creatures they came from. At first it was just a fleeting thought that I didn't pay much attention to, but then I started thinking about it more and more. I love karate, and it will always be a passion, but all my dream jobs from the time I was a little kid until now have always involved me helping people in one way or another."

"That part doesn't surprise me so much. I just…a teacher?" asked Kimberly, struggling to grasp the idea of Tommy doing something for a career that seemed so out of character for him. "Okay, so let's say you become a teacher. What happens with me, and what happens with us after that?"

"You taught at the same school as me," Tommy replied, a smile crossing his lips at the fond recollection of old memories. "You've always loved to read and write so I thought maybe an English teacher. You still gave private gymnastics lessons from time to time on weekends, though. Oh, and we had this awesome house that was kind of tucked away and secluded from everything. It was perfect."

Kimberly stole a sip from Tommy's Pepsi before answering. "What about kids?"

Tommy shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, ever since I found out I was adopted part of me has always wanted to give that chance to someone else. I know I can't change the world by adopting one, two, or even three kids, but I can change one person's world the same way my parents did for me."

Kimberly smiled brightly back at him. "That's really sweet, Tommy," she said softly, Tommy nodding casually. "But you're kidding yourself by saying that's not detailed. You must have spent just as much time daydreaming in Ms. Applebee's class as I did."

"I don't know about _just_ as much," Tommy replied with a teasing smile. "But I guess I did my fair share of daydreaming in class, too. Anyways, that was the past. I don't think teaching is in the cards for me, anymore."

"Why not?" asked Kimberly.

"I've been out of school for over a year now, Kim," said Tommy, almost regretfully. "And with racing and everything, I just can't see myself going back."

Kimberly shook her head. "You make it sound like you're forty and having a mid-life crisis when you're just barely twenty years old. People take a year or two off after high school before going on to college all the time. If you want it bad enough you'll always find a way to get it done. You taught me that."

Tommy sighed. "Maybe," he murmured, silently wondering if he could do it. "I guess it might not be that hard to go back."

"The only thing stopping you is yourself, Tommy," said Kimberly.

"Yeah, and saving the whole freaking universe," Tommy scoffed.

"This isn't something that's going to last forever. You and I both know that," Kimberly replied, looking him right in the eyes. "We're going to find a way to save Zordon and everything is going to be okay."

Their conversation was put on hold momentarily when their waitress came by to drop off the check. For the short time that she was by their table, the gorgeous daughter of the Cuban-American's who owned the restaurant never took her eyes off Tommy, who was of course oblivious to the attention being thrown his way.

Kimberly, however, was not so unaware. She wasn't tacky either, though, so she didn't say anything about it until after the waitress had collected her empty plate and left their table.

"I swear, it's like women could literally be throwing themselves at your feet and you wouldn't even notice it," said Kimberly, a confused look on Tommy's face. "I know you didn't see it, but that waitress was practically undressing you with her eyes. I can't understand how you don't notice these things."

Smiling, Tommy shrugged. "What can I say? There's only one woman here worth paying attention to and she's sitting right across from me," he replied, leaning across the table for a quick kiss before sliding out of the booth. "What do you say we hit Walgreen's, get back to the ship, and start practicing for the future?"

Kimberly rolled her eyes, but the desire inside them was evident as she took Tommy's offered hand, allowing him to help her onto her feet. "Don't forget, lunch is on you."

Laughing, Tommy shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it," he replied, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Kimberly's meal and their shared soda totaled eight dollars and Tommy pulled out a ten. "You think a two dollar tip is enough?"

"It's two too much if you ask me," said Kimberly, glaring over Tommy's shoulder at the back of their waitress's head.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" asked Tommy, Kimberly shaking her head.

"No way," she replied dismissively, Tommy smiling because he knew better. "Okay, maybe a little, but can you blame me? I mean look at her! Her boobs are huge, her butt is incredible, and those lips are perf—"

Tommy's kiss both interrupted and silenced her. "Not as perfect as yours," he whispered against her lips. "Like I said before, there is only one woman in this place that's worth my attention and it's definitely not our waitress."

"Practicing for the future it is, then," said Kimberly, blushing slightly as she reached for his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Fifteen minutes later they stood behind the drug store, a small paper bag hidden in the pocket at the bottom of Tommy's board shorts. Side by side, two columns of red and pink energy shot up through the sky and into the depths of outer space. No sooner had they touched down in the control room of the _Shadow Rider _then they were met by Jason, Zack, and Trini who all stared expectantly at Kimberly.

"Something wrong, guys?" asked Kimberly. Clearly confused, she looked to Tommy who shrugged obliviously.

Stepping forward, Jason folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know, Kim," he replied. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Furrowing her brow, Kimberly smacked herself in the forehead. "Of course, I completely forgot," she answered, shaking her head as she turned her attention towards Zack. "Tommy and I are back together."

"Wow, that's awesome; congratulations," said Zack enthusiastically, his smile lost when Jason smacked his shoulder and glared at him. "But, uh, that's not why we're all here."

"Well then why are you here? And what's with all the hostility?" asked Tommy, standing firmly at Kimberly's side. "If you guys have a problem with something," he continued, looking down on the petite woman next to him, "or someone, you need to be up front about it."

Jason nodded. "You know what, bro? You're absolutely right," he replied, turning to Kimberly. "So since we're all being up front, who's the Silver Ranger and why is he stuck inside a frozen glass coffin hidden in the tiniest little corner of this place?"

"A Silver Ranger?" asked Tommy in disbelief. "What are they talking about, Kim?"

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place Kimberly sighed, defeated. "I don't know who he is, other than that he was the pilot onboard your guys' ship when it went down. When I found him, his face was burned beyond recognition and he was on the verge of dying," said Kimberly, four sets of astonished eyes growing wide. "I brought him back here, put a Morpher on his arm, and activated it, but it still wasn't enough so I had Alpha help me cryogenically freeze him. His vitals are all normal, but he's basically comatose. Alpha's been trying to find a way to wake him, but so far we haven't had any luck."

"Let's forget the fact that you gave an incredibly powerful Morpher to someone you don't even know, someone who could be a freaking serial killer or something," said Jason incredulously, Kimberly rolling her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us about him? Why keep him hidden from the rest of us?"

Defiantly, Kimberly stepped towards Jason, inches separating them as she looked up at the man who towered over her. Her diminished height did not stop her from pointing a finger at him, jabbing it into his chest.

"First of all, Jason, you're not the leader of this team anymore okay, I am. You answer to me now, not the other way around," said Kimberly, Jason staring bullets at her while Tommy grinned in amusement behind her back. "I gave him the Morpher because if he wasn't worthy of it, it would have rejected him and he would have died just like he would have if I had done nothing. As far as why I didn't tell you guys, with everything that's happened in the last couple of days it slipped my mind. It's not like I was keeping it a secret, and personally I'm a little pissed off with the way you approached me about it to be honest."

"Yep, she's definitely a leader," Trini muttered to Zack who nodded his agreement.

Jason, however, didn't seem too impressed. "Whatever," he grumbled. Glaring back and forth between Tommy and Kimberly, he shook his head. "I'm out of here. You guys have fun on Phaedos and be sure to let me know when this becomes a team and not a tandem."

Turning his back to the new couple, Jason stormed towards the door but stopped just short of it, whirling around to face Zack and Trini. "Are you guys coming?" he asked impatiently, clearly intending to separate everyone from Tommy and Kimberly as much as possible.

The rock and hard place Kimberly had found herself in between a few minutes earlier paled in comparison to the situation Zack and Trini were now stuck in. The pair shared a momentary look that conveyed their obvious discomfort in having to choose between two friends that they both cared about equally.

Shaking his head, Zack muttered something inaudible and turned to follow Jason. Wearing a saddened expression, Trini looked to Kimberly. "I'm sorry, Kim," she murmured, unable to look away from her friend's tear filled eyes as she backpedaled towards the door.

Kimberly's eyes remained locked on Trini as well, or at least they did until the door slid shut and completely blocked her already blurry line of vision. She turned her focus to Tommy and just started to cry uncontrollably, burying her face against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.

"What did I do?" she asked, sobbing. "A couple of hours ago Jason was so happy for us, now he has Trini and Zack on his side when there shouldn't even be sides in the first place."

"You didn't do anything, Kim," Tommy whispered, gently rubbing her back. "Obviously, Jason is still mad that he can't go through the jungle with us. I thought he was over it, but clearly he's not. That's not your fault, though."

"Obviously I did do something or Jason wouldn't have gotten all pissy and stomped out of here like that," Kimberly replied, shaking in Tommy's arms. "I should have told you guys about the Silver Ranger, I just…I got so caught up in everything that was going on and I forgot."

Tommy sighed. "Kim, sweetheart, Jason's not mad because you didn't tell us about the Silver Ranger. He's mad because he has to sit behind and wait while we go off without him. I'm not saying his reaction was right, but I know the feeling and I know how badly it sucks to be that guy on the outside looking in. He just wants to feel included, that's all."

"I get that, Tommy, I really do, and I can sympathize with where he's coming from, but to do what he just did…it doesn't make sense to me," she murmured, slowly freeing herself from Tommy's embrace while simultaneously taking his hands. "When we did this in high school we used to get split up all the time for all kinds of crazy reasons and I've never seen anything more than a thirty second argument."

Nodding, Tommy dropped one of her hands as he led her towards a nearby chair. "That's the thing, though. As nostalgic as this is, we're not in high school anymore, Beautiful," he murmured. Taking a seat, he pulled Kimberly into his lap and wrapped an arm around her waist. "When we were in high school we used to see each other all the time; and I don't know about the rest of you guys, but up until a few days ago I hadn't seen any of the Rangers in months. Deep down, I know that Jason is really happy for us, but right now he sees you and me spending all this time together and it makes him feel like we don't want him around. Add that to the fact that he's not going into the Neola Jungle with us, and I think you'll be able to see why he might feel a little unwelcome."

With one arm around him and the other hand resting near his collarbone, Kimberly laid her head comfortably in the crook between Tommy's neck and shoulder, snuggling up close to him. "You would think that after all these years he'd know how much he means to me. I would never intentionally do anything to make him feel the way he does."

Slipping his fingers into hers, Tommy placed a single soft kiss to her hand. "He knows, Kim. You guys have been friends almost as long as you've been alive. Once we get back from Phaedos and it's the five of us instead of just you and me, I guarantee you that everything will go back to normal."

Kimberly sighed. "I hope you're right because it's going to take all five of us, if not more, if we're going to have any chance at finding Zordon."

Confused, Tommy furrowed his brow. "What do you mean all five of us?"

"I mean the Silver Ranger, Tommy," Kimberly replied. "The five Morphers we have are all equally powerful, but the Morpher I gave that pilot is stronger than any of them. We need to find a way to wake him up and hope that he's willing to help us."

"Are you really willing to trust someone you've never met before with the responsibility of being a Ranger?" asked Tommy. "We both know it's not easy, and that's an awful lot of faith to put in someone that you don't even know."

"I trusted you, didn't I?" Kimberly questioned in retort.

Tommy chuckled. "You did, and look where it got you. I nearly killed you guys, remember? Who's to say that this guy won't try to do the same?"

"No one knows what's going to happen in the future, Tommy," said Kimberly softly, smiling up at him as she lightly traced her fingers across the hardened planes of his chest. "Sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith and hope that it works out for the best. One way or another, it always seems to in the end."

Pecking a few quick kisses to her lips, Tommy smiled and started to say something only to be cut off by the intruding voice of DECA before he could get a single word out.

"_Hello, Rangers. Pardon the interruption, but I would like to inform you that we will be landing on Phaedos near the eastern waters in approximately fifteen minutes. Is there anything that you require before we arrive?"_

"No, DECA, that will be all," Kimberly answered. Swiveling her body so that she faced Tommy, she slinked her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Fifteen minutes, Tommy," she whispered, reaching for his belt. "Better make it quick."

"In the control room, Kim?" asked Tommy in between the onslaught of kisses being thrown his way. "What if someone walks in?"

Kimberly smiled wickedly at him. "Like I said, better make it quick."

--


	7. Warrior's Welcome

_**Title: Quest**_

_**Chapter 7 – Warrior's Welcome**_

_**Original Posting Date: November 16, 2008**_

_**--**_

With a loud hiss the doors of the _Shadow Rider _slid open, revealing the rocky cliff sides of Phaedos to Tommy and Kimberly for the first time in nearly three years. A long silver ramp followed moments later, granting them access to the ground from their elevated position. Almost immediately Tommy started to walk forward but Kimberly stayed put, looking back over her shoulder with a visibly saddened expression.

"I can't believe they didn't even come to see us off," she murmured disappointedly, shaking her head as she returned her eyes to Tommy.

"It's only been like half an hour, Kim," he reminded her, smiling softly even as she glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Their feelings aren't going to change automatically like that no matter how bad you want them to."

Kimberly could do little more than sigh, her shoulders simultaneously sagging in defeat. "I know but still," she replied quietly, almost distantly as she paused for a few silent moments. "I just...I don't like it when my friends are mad at me."

"No one does," Tommy supplied, shrugging. "Besides, it's not like they're gonna be mad at us forever. At the end of the day, we're all still friends and eventually they'll get over it. Honestly, I know Jason's probably still pissed, but I bet Zack and Trini are already regretting walking out on us like they did."

"I doubt that," said Kimberly with an audible hint of bitterness, taking Tommy's hand as they started down the ramp.

Tommy chuckled. "You know, usually I'm the one with the glass-half-empty outlook, not you," he countered.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "What makes you think they're regretting it?"

Tommy did not immediately reply. Instead, he took a few moments to look around, his breathing slow and deliberate. The cool, moist air of the Phadoesian seaside tickled his face, bringing a sensation of utter calmness to him. He remained in a constant silent turnabout even as the ship started to take off behind him, staying that way until shortly after the sound of rumbling engines had disappeared.

"It's just like I remember it," he murmured, smiling wistfully as he turned back to Kimberly who was still waiting for an answer. He gave it to her, albeit with clear exasperation in his voice. "Kim, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the only reason they went with Jason in the first place was because you didn't even try to stop them."

Hands on her hips, Kimberly stared back at Tommy incredulously. "Oh, so now this whole thing is all my fault?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," said Tommy. "I'm just saying that, as the leader it's your responsibility to keep this team united at all times; not physically united, but emotionally. They have to know that even though we're all friends, you're still the one in charge and what you say goes."

"So you're saying they don't respect me?" asked Kimberly, confused.

Tommy shrugged, his expression somewhere in between yes and no. "I don't think disrespect is what it is. I think it's a combination of Jason's stubbornness mixed with the fact that Zack and Trini aren't really the leader type," he answered, the look on Kimberly's face telling him to explain further. "Look, Jason's got a leader mentality and that's never going to go away. If he really thinks he's right about something, even if he's not it takes a lot to convince him."

"Just like you and me," Kimberly muttered, slowly starting to understand where Tommy's line of thinking was heading.

"Exactly," Tommy replied, nodding. "As far as Zack and Trini go it's not a slight against them, but when was the last time you remember them planning something we did as a group?" he continued, Kimberly shaking her head. "It's the same as I was in the beginning. Before I got comfortable around you guys, unless one of us had something really important going on that everyone was already going to, you and Jason were pretty much the ones who steered the group."

"For someone so youthful you have a strong understanding of the world around you, young Falcon," said a female voice from behind the pair.

It was a voice so familiar that it sent a series of chills running up and down the spines of both Tommy and Kimberly. Looking at each other, they shared a quick smile before slowly turning around to face a cloaked and hooded figure. They watched intently as the figure methodically reached up and removed the brown hood, revealing the smiling face of Phaedos' Master Warrior.

"Dulcea," Kimberly murmured, grinning as she moved to embrace the woman.

The two women shared a quick hug and as Dulcea released her hold on Kimberly she gazed down upon the much younger woman. "My graceful Crane," she replied, smiling proudly as Tommy stepped to Kimberly's side. "It warms my heart to see you both standing here again. Alas, it appears we are destined to only meet under the most unfortunate of circumstances."

"Then you already know about Zordon?" asked Tommy.

Dulcea nodded sadly. "I learned of his fate shortly before you did," she said to Kimberly.

"I don't understand," Kimberly replied, shaking her head. "Why weren't we told as soon as it happened? And what's more, why was I told before Tommy and the others? Wouldn't it have been easier to find Zordon with five of us out there looking for him from the get-go?"

"Kimberly, I assure you that you were contacted as soon as we had all—" Dulcea started only to be cut off by Tommy.

"Who's _we_?" he asked firmly.

Dulcea looked to Tommy and smiled. "The Order of Meledon; what remains of it, that is," she answered, uttering a phrase neither Tommy nor Kimberly had heard before. "Many millennia ago the Order of Meledon was a group of warriors responsible protecting the universe. The Order consisted of five members, all of whom you know, albeit two in much different states. Upon its' conception by Zordon, I was the first to join; Trey of Triforia, Ninjor, and the Phantom Ranger followed shortly thereafter."

"Zordon never mentioned this Order before," said Kimberly, furrowing her brow.

Nodding, Dulcea beckoned for them to walk with her. "Time is of the essence; I will explain everything as we walk," she replied, Tommy and Kimberly quick to follow. "I'm sure this will not come as a surprise to either of you when I say this, but Zordon was always incredibly secretive when it came to his various operations. That is why I still attacked on your first visit. Before that day I had not heard from Zordon in well over three millennia and I knew nothing of his movements on Earth."

"Okay," Tommy nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Now back to Kim's question. Why weren't we all told at the same time?"

Sighing, Dulcea stopped short in front of a series of large boulders that formed something of an elongated staircase leading up towards the path that would eventually take them to the old, familiar plateau.

"Because we deemed it necessary it to be that way, Falcon," Dulcea answered, slowly turning her focus to Kimberly. "Because the Crane still needed to discover herself, to mend her broken wings before your team could truly soar. As it stands, it took the Order nearly two months to realize the error of our decision to send you out on your own."

Kimberly stared back at Dulcea in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that I take full responsibility for not standing up to the Order when they reached that decision," Dulcea replied, shaking her head sadly. "In my heart I knew that the Crane could not reach the heights necessary to find Zordon without the Falcon flying by her side; and though I knew that I still allowed them to keep you apart. For that, my young warriors, I am truly sorry."

Tommy and Kimberly smiled brightly at each other, their eyes lingering momentarily before they turned back to the Master Warrior. "I think I speak for both of us when I say apology accepted," said Kimberly, still smiling.

Dulcea nodded thankfully. "Then if there is nothing else," she spoke, turning around, "we have much to do and very little time to do it in."

And with that they started walking again, scaling the stone staircase that seemed much steeper now then it had three years ago. By the time they reached the top some twenty minutes later both Tommy and Kimberly were breathing heavier than was normal. With a slight tingling sensation in his calves Tommy bent down and stretched, rubbing the backs of his legs.

"Twenty starts to feel like forty when you've been out of the game this long," he laughed, shaking his head as Kimberly jumped up and down a few times, wiggling the kinks out of her own legs.

"We must continue, Rangers. The plateau awaits us," said Dulcea, already walking away. Tommy and Kimberly looked at each other, both of them rolling their eyes in unison as they moved to follow the Master Warrior.

Nudging Tommy as they walked, Kimberly looked up at him and smiled. "You hear that?" she asked in a whisper. "'The plateau awaits us.' You know what that means."

Grinning, Tommy nodded. "I always did look better in white," he replied with a quiet chuckle.

"Your reconnection to the Ninjetti will only be temporary," Dulcea interjected, catching Tommy and Kimberly off guard for they thought they'd been speaking quietly enough not to be overheard. "Upon leaving Phaedos and rejoining your teammates, your connection will rapidly begin to fade without Ninjor's Power Coins to support it."

The two Rangers were almost saddened to hear this news, but neither showed it. "What are we looking for at the temple, Dulcea?" asked Kimberly.

"Answers, Crane," Dulcea answered, leading them over a cliff roughly three hundred feet above the ground. "You seek answers."

"To where Zordon is?" questioned Tommy.

Dulcea shrugged. "Perhaps," she answered on the wingtips of a deep exhale. "There is no way of predicting what one will find upon returning to the ancient ruins for a second time. And while I cannot be certain, what I _can_ say is that, in times of great strife the temple always seems to have a way of giving the Ninjetti exactly what they need."

"That's good enough for me," Tommy replied.

"Me too," added Kimberly, nodding her agreement.

For what seemed like hours they continued to maneuver their way across Phaedos en route to the plateau where the pair of Ninjetti would once again become one with their sacred animal spirits. So long was their journey that the sun was already nearing its final descent for the day upon their arrival at the plateau.

Looking out on the familiar place, Tommy couldn't help but smile as he became the victim to a wonderful lapse of déjà vu. He closed his eyes and saw himself standing in his white Ninjetti robes next to Adam, a fire burning brightly at the center of the plateau as Dulcea walked in front of each of the Rangers, addressing them individually.

"_The winged lord of the skies,"_ the Master Warrior had called him that day. Even if he was no longer the leader he had been back then, Tommy knew that the title Dulcea had once bestowed upon him would forever reign in the realm of the Ninjetti.

When he opened his eyes a few moments later Dulcea was now without her cloak, standing near the fire pit where a handful of logs lied dormant. With Kimberly standing next to him, they watched as Dulcea closed her eyes and extended her hands over the pit, the logs starting to crackle almost instantly. It took but mere seconds before the warmth of bright orange flames began to wash over them.

Once the flames had reached their necessary strength, Dulcea turned to Tommy and Kimberly. "Return to your rightful places, Ninjetti," she said softly. As she reached for the pouch on her hip the Rangers did as they'd been told, moving to the opposite side of the fire.

"I'm excited," Kimberly murmured from the corner of her mouth.

"Me too," Tommy admitted, fighting away the urge to smile.

With her back to them, Dulcea poured a sand-like substance into the palm of her hand. Setting the pouch down atop a small stone pillar she turned around and started towards the fire, connecting both hands as she slid the sand to the center of them.

"Buried deep within each of us is an animal spirit waiting to be unleashed. Close your eyes and look deep inside," Dulcea urged, Tommy and Kimberly quickly following her instructions.

With a smile, the Master Warrior blew the dust towards the fire, causing it to shoot up as a sparkling, swirling blue cloud started to form above the flames before surrounding the two Rangers entirely. When the fire died shortly thereafter, Tommy and Kimberly opened their eyes and smiled beneath their masks as they looked down on their Ninjetti robes.

"The agile Crane and the mighty Falcon," Dulcea continued, nodding approvingly. "Once again the strength of the Ninjetti lies at your disposal. Trust in it; let your sacred animals be your guide and all will be well."

Turning to each other, Tommy and Kimberly removed their hoods and then pulled away their masks, revealing their smiles as they looked back at Dulcea. Through the various powers they had held as Rangers, there was nothing that was even remotely comparable to the way being Ninjetti made them feel inside.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Tommy, unable to contain his childish grin.

Dulcea smiled as she waved her hand in front of them. In an instant the fire pit had disappeared, a large dark green tent taking its' place. "You will find the necessary provisions for the night inside," she answered, pointing to the tent. "I suggest a good night's sleep, for tomorrow at sunrise we begin your training."

Tommy furrowed his brow. "Training?" he asked incredulously, staring back at Dulcea who maintained her smile as she nodded. "We don't have time to train, Zordon's in danger. We need to get to the temple as soon as possible."

"And you will, Tommy," said Dulcea firmly. "But not before you have trained to my expectations. The rewards for reaching the temple a second time are great, but so are the risks in attempting to do so. Your journey will not be an easy one; to complete it you must both reach the full potential of what you can do as Ninjetti."

"And you're going to teach us that?" questioned Kimberly.

Dulcea shook her head. "All that I can do is to guide you on your journey. Only _you_ are capable of discovering what _you_ are capable of doing," she answered. "Now I must go and finish preparing for tomorrow. Sleep well, Rangers, and let the Power protect you."

Before either of them could reply Dulcea was already in the midst of transforming into an owl, accessing a level of Ninjetti that Tommy and Kimberly had not yet been able to reach. The small bird with bright yellow eyes looked at the pair, giving them a few soft hoots before flying off into the distance.

"Well," murmured Tommy, turning to Kimberly while motioning to the tent, "I guess we should probably go in."

Kimberly laughed. "One thing that I'll never get used to is the time difference going from planet to planet," she replied as they made their way towards their home for the night. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep for at least three or four more hours."

Standing in one of the tent's two rooms, the other being a small kitchen, Tommy smiled as he slowly turned away from the twin beds—one with a white comforter and one pink, set a good ten feet away from each other—and winked at Kimberly. "Then how about we find a way to occupy our time?"

Grinning wickedly, Kimberly took two fistfuls of Tommy's robes and pulled him in close. She moved in like she was going to kiss him hard only to leave him with the faintest brush of her lips across his. "What'd you have in mind?" she asked, looking up at him.

"More than that kiss," Tommy answered. "I mean, if you can even call that a kiss."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "You would have been perfectly satisfied with that back when we were in high school."

Laughing, Tommy wrapped his arms around Kimberly, holding her close to him as he slowly started to backpedal towards the beds. "I wasn't satisfied," he replied, smiling. "I was just too scared to try anything more."

"Are you saying that I intimidated you?" Kimberly questioned teasingly.

Standing in front of the white bed, Tommy slowly sat down on the edge. "You were the most beautiful girl in school. I was more concerned with not making an ass of myself than I was with making moves on you," he answered, motioning for Kimberly to join him. As she moved to sit on his lap with a vibrant smile, Tommy held her around the waist and continued. "It took a long time for me to realize that I didn't have to try so hard to impress you."

"Even when you don't try you still impress me," said Kimberly, pecking a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Besides, who cares if we moved slower than most couples? I've never felt like we needed to have sex to be closer."

"Me neither," said Tommy. Smiling, he leaned back and pulled Kimberly down towards the bed with him until they lied face to face. Just inches of empty space remained on either side of the small mattress as he reached out and started to stroke the side of her face with lazy fingertips. "After we're done here and we've straightened everything out with the others, what do you say we go out?"

Kimberly furrowed her brow. "You mean like on a _date_?" she asked, Tommy nodding as she smiled. "As long as you remember to wind up your watch," she continued, winking at him, "I'd love to go out on a date with you."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "You just had to bring the watch up, didn't you?" he countered with a laugh, Kimberly shrugging helplessly. "It's kinda weird, isn't it?"

"What's that?" asked Kimberly, her fingers stroking up and down Tommy's chest.

"Usually the guy has to take the girl out _before_ he gets laid," he answered.

For Tommy, unfortunately what had been intended to be a teasing reply was clearly not taken that way. The smile on Kimberly's face disappeared almost instantly, her body moving just as fast as she rolled away from Tommy and onto her feet, walking away. It took a few confused moments of watching her, wondering what he'd said wrong before he stood and gave chase, crossing the tent to where she now stood in the small kitchen.

"Kim, I didn't mean to—"

"I'm not just some slut, you know," she interrupted, keeping her back to him with arms folded across her chest.

Tommy sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I never said you were, Kim. I'm sorry if I made it seem that way, but I was just trying to make a joke."

"Well mission unaccomplished, Tommy," said Kimberly, turning around to face him with tear-filled eyes that made Tommy's heart break the second he saw them. What came next, however, hurt even worse. "You're just like every other guy."

Her venomous reply left Tommy standing there in pained shock long after she'd pushed passed him and exited the tent. With the way they'd behaved around each other the last few days...he couldn't understand why Kimberly had reacted like she had, especially after he'd both apologized and explained himself.

There was something else, something she hadn't told him about. What it was he did not know, but wearing pure determination upon his face he turned and left the tent with every intention of finding out.

Luckily, she hadn't gone very far. Underneath a star speckled sky she stood at the edge of the plateau, gazing out on the darkened treetops of the Neola Jungle and the giant monolith at the ceter that was home to the Ninjetti Temple. He approached her with caution, his footsteps slow and quiet.

She heard him, nonetheless, and turned around to face him. "What do you want?" she asked rather rudely.

Tommy raised an eyebrow, momentarily debating whether or not it was even worth it to put up with being verbally accosted. "I want to know why you flipped out over a little joke. I mean, I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

Kimberly scoffed, rolling her eyes. "A little joke?" she questioned, laughing bitterly. "Just like sex, right? Because that's clearly what you think of it as."

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" asked Tommy, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is me, Kim, Tommy Oliver; the kid who was too afraid to do anything more than kiss you for almost three years. I'm also the guy who has always shown you nothing but the utmost respect even when I had every right not to. But more than that, other Rangers excluded I'm the one guy who you've always been able to trust. For some reason, though, there's something that you don't trust me with."

Frozen by his words Kimberly looked at Tommy, unsure of what to say. Backed into a corner, she threw out the first thing that came to her mind. "You don't know what you're talking about," was her reply, spoken as she tried to move passed him.

He wasn't going to let her go a second time, but as he reached out to stop her something strange happened. Some outside force, something he could not see had prevented him from touching her. It was only seconds later when he realized the reason that he couldn't see it was because his eyes were now squeezed shut.

When he tried to open them, though, he was halted as a piercing cry rang out inside his head. It was eerily familiar, accompanied by a voice he'd never heard before shortly after the cry had dissipated. _"The falcon is a protector, Tommy. You alone have the power to protect everything that you hold dear."_

Then the cry returned, just as loudly as the first time only now it faded away slowly instead of stopping suddenly as it had before. Tommy's eyes fluttered open shortly thereafter, settling on a confused Kimberly who was seemingly trapped inside a bubble of white energy emanating from his own two hands.

"What the hell did you do to me, Tommy?" shouted Kimberly, beating her fists against the bubble. "Let me out of here."

Blinking rapidly, Tommy started to laugh when he realized what he was doing. "Nope," he replied, shaking his head. "Not until you tell me what it is that made you react like that, and don't tell me it was just me because I know that's not true. There's something you're not telling me, so if you want out you better start talking."

Kimberly looked back at Tommy and sighed in defeat, her shoulders sagging because the truth was that she really didn't want to be mad at him. "Tommy, please let me out so we can talk like real people," she said softly.

Tommy narrowed his eyes, silently pondering her request. "Promise me you're not just going to go running off again if I do," he countered.

"I promise; besides, if I do you can just trap me in another one of these bubble things," Kimberly replied. Chuckling, Tommy focused on the Power and allowed the orb to disappear. "Thank you."

Nodding, Tommy gestured towards the tent. "You wanna go back inside?"

Kimberly smiled thankfully and nodded, a bit surprised when Tommy offered her his hand. She took it, nonetheless, stepping up next to him as they walked back to the tent. "I'm sorry I flipped out like that," she murmured.

"I know you are," said Tommy softly, smiling down at her. "I just want to know why you did it, that's all."

"Can't we just chalk it up to one of those crazy things Kim does and forget it never happened?" asked Kimberly hopefully.

Stopping just short of the tent's entrance, Tommy shook his head. "Kim, you promised me that you'd—"

"I know, I know," Kimberly interjected, pulling him inside the tent. She led him over to his bed, sat him down, and then started to pace nervously. Biting her nails, she caught sight of his eyes and sighed. "Remember when I told you why Blake and I broke up?"

"You said it was because he wasn't me," Tommy answered.

Kimberly nodded. "I didn't tell you what I meant by that, though. My relationship with Blake started a lot like ours did. We went on dates and I never did anything more than kiss him, and he never pressured me for anything more. But then one day he mentioned sex; I told him I didn't think I was ready for that and he dropped it. Eventually it came up again and I said the same thing. It seemed like once a week he was bringing it up. It made me think of you, how you'd never tried to pressure me for anything I hadn't already given you willingly."

Tommy smiled at that as Kimberly continued.

"Part of me really wanted to leave Florida and come home, to try and patch things up with you. Truthfully, I had every intention of doing just that when I got a letter from Jason. We'd been writing back and forth since they went to Switzerland; at first it was me keeping him up with the team, but then it flip-flopped. Anyway, I got a letter from Jason and he mentioned that you were dating Kat. When I realized you were happy with someone else, I knew I couldn't come home and try to interfere. I'd lost my place in your life, and I dealt with it even though it tore me up inside every single day. The next time Blake mentioned sex, I gave in."

"Why?" asked Tommy after a few silent moments, not really knowing what else to say.

Kimberly shrugged. "I think I held out for so long because, deep down, I'd always imagined that my first time would be with you. I guess a part of me held out hope that, even though we weren't together, that dream would someday become a reality. But then I found out you were with Kat and I knew it would never happen. Realizing that I'd lost you for good made me realize that I could lose Blake too. Back home, even if I didn't have you I still had the others. In Florida, I didn't have anyone. I was so afraid of being alone…"

Tears started to brim in her eyes, slowly slipping down her cheeks as Tommy stood and pulled her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked, her face buried against his chest.

"W-we had sex," Kimberly stammered, almost shaking in Tommy's embrace. "For a couple weeks everything was good. Then one night, not ten minutes after we'd had sex he broke up with me. He told me that he'd just wanted to test the newest ride on the lot before someone else got a hold of it."

Tommy grimaced, his eyes burning with anger as he pulled Kimberly in even closer. "And you thought I was going to do the same thing?"

Pushing back a bit, Kimberly wiped at her eyes as she shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, Tommy. I just…after Blake I promised myself I wasn't ever going to put myself in that position again. When you made your little joke, instead of taking it the way you meant it I immediately saw red. All I could think was that I was in the middle of making the same mistake all over again and I panicked."

"I would never do that to you," said Tommy firmly, looking right into her eyes to prove his point. "Any guy who would even think about doing something like that to you is an idiot who obviously didn't realize that he had the most amazing woman in the world."

"I'm not amazing, I'm an idiot," Kimberly replied, freeing herself from Tommy's arms as she turned her back to him. "All my life I've been afraid of men hurting me; not physically, but emotionally, like the way my dad did to my mom when he cheated on her. I find the one guy who I know is different and I let him go because I'm too scared to be alone. Then, by some miracle I get him back only to make a fool out of myself by saying a whole bunch of things that were stupid and completely unwarranted."

Tommy stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closely with his chin resting on her shoulder. "Wanna chalk it up to one of those crazy things Kim does and forget it ever happened?"

Somewhere in between laughing and crying, Kimberly slowly turned around to face him. "I would love to do that," she answered, wiping at her eyes as she nodded her agreement. "You're really gonna forgive me just like that?"

Chuckling, Tommy shrugged. "You forgave me for trying to kill you on multiple occasions," he answered, smiling and winking at her. "I think I can forgive you for going a little off kilter this one time."

Kimberly smiled up at Tommy, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Can you at least let me try and make it up to you?" she asked sweetly, innocently.

Half-smirking, Tommy just nodded.

--

In one of the many recreation rooms on board the _Shadow Rider _which floated lazily above Phaedos, Jason sat alone, stewing. Occupying a recliner chair in the corner of the room, he watched with narrowed eyes from afar as Zack and Trini played a game of billiards, trying desperately to keep their minds distracted from what had happened earlier.

Pushing some of his dreadlocks away from his face, Zack lined up a shot on the three-ball and sunk it in the far corner pocket, flashing a toothy grin to Trini who barely managed a small smile in return.

"Nice shot, Zack," Trini muttered distantly.

Zack nodded. "Thanks," he replied, watching Trini curiously as he moved around the table to take his next shot. The sadness in her eyes was too distracting, though; the ball he'd aimed at bounced off the rail, rolling around and hitting a few more balls before it reached a stop at the other end of the table. Looking up at her, he let out a sigh. "What's on your mind, Tri?"

"Nothing," said Trini, sliding into position behind the cue ball. She took aim only to be interrupted by Zack who reached out and took hold of her stick. "Come on, Zack, let go."

Zack shook his head. "Talk to me," he replied firmly, his voice low enough so as to not be overheard by Jason.

Staring across the table at her friend, Trini waged something of a momentary war with herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Zack; the truth was that even she didn't know what she was really thinking. Her thoughts were such a jumbled mess that nothing seemed to make any sense to her at all.

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," Trini started, shaking her head, "but something's going on. I don't know what it is and I can't explain it, but something big is about to happen; something that's going to change this team forever."

With a furrowed brow, Zack opened his mouth to reply only to be cut off by the alarm wailing throughout the room. Not really sure of what to do, he turned to Jason to find that the Black Ranger was already out of his seat and quickly moving towards them.

"Control room?" asked Zack.

Jason nodded. "Let's go," he answered, heading straight for the exit without bothering to stop.

Zack and Trini shared a quick look, the former of whom shrugged before they both turned to follow Jason. Running down the hallway, they remained a few feet behind him until they'd reached the control room where Jason was watching Alpha-5 with a big smile on his face, the first one they'd seen from him in quite some time.

"What's going on?" asked Trini, looking from the suspiciously-blank viewing globe to Alpha.

"Ay-yi-yi, the ship's sensors have gone into absolute overload!" Alpha exclaimed. Running around the control room frantically, he hit every button he could find in an attempt to make the alarm stop. "I feel like my ears are going to explode!"

Trini turned to Jason. "There's no danger?" she questioned, Jason shaking his head. Breathing a sigh of relief, she ran over to Alpha and held the automaton in place. "Alpha," she continued, stifling a laugh. "Alpha, just calm down and tell us what's going on before you fry your circuits."

"Ay-yi-yi, Trini, I just told you what's going on," Alpha replied. "Doesn't anyone listen to me?"

"Of course we listen to you, Alpha," said Trini, smiling softly. "But we can't listen to you when you're running around like a crazy person, saying your ears are going to explode when you don't even have any ears in the first place."

"What can we do to help?" Zack interjected, stepping up to Trini's side.

Across from the trio, Jason rested up against one of the many control panels that stood throughout the room. Looking down at the panel, specifically a large red button marked "Manual Alarm Deactivation," he shook his head and laughed, the alarm ceasing its' blaring shortly thereafter. Moments later, as he started to walk towards a confused Zack, Trini, and Alpha, something hit him.

"Tell us what's going on, Alpha," said Jason sternly.

"What are you talking about, Jase?" asked Zack, raising a curious eyebrow.

Looking at Zack, Jason nodded his head in Alpha's direction. "In all the years that I've been a Ranger, I can't remember a single time when the Command Center or Power Chamber alarm ever went off accidentally," he answered, slowly turning his eyes to Alpha. "And when something happened and the alarm _did_ go off, you never once had any trouble making it stop. Something set off the alarm just now, and whatever it was, it was enough to freak you out."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Jason," Alpha replied, quickly turning his back to the Rangers. "Like I said, the sensors just went into overload. It could have just as easily been a passing ship."

"Yeah, come on, Jase; you can never be too careful," Zack interjected with a laugh, clasping Jason on the shoulder. "Word is that Compton's got _nothing_ on the drive-by's they have out here in outer space."

Forcing himself not to laugh at his friend, Jason remained focused solely on Alpha as he stepped in front of the automaton and dropped to a knee. "No one is mad, Alpha," he said softly. "We just want to know what's going on, that's all."

At that moment, if Alpha's programming had allowed him to sigh he surely would have. "Ay-yi-yi, I hate lying to you, Rangers. The alarm was caused by a disturbance on the top floor, but it has already been taken care of."

"The top floor?" asked Trini, her voice both distant and thoughtful. When it finally hit her, she looked to Jason and Zack in shock to find that they each wore an expression similar to hers.

"The Silver Ranger," Jason murmured, shaking his head before returning his attention to Alpha. "What'd he do?"

"You mean you already know about him?" questioned Alpha, looking to the three Rangers who all nodded their confirmation. "Ay-yi-yi, if I tell you what happened you have to promise not to tell Kimberly or she'll think I'm a failure."

Standing next to the robot, Trini laid a hand on his shoulder and slowly shook her head. "Alpha, Kim loves you and would never think that way about you, so just tell us what happened. Is the Silver Ranger okay?"

Alpha nodded. "He is now. You see, when Kimberly brought him back to the ship we had to freeze him cryogenically to keep him alive."

"We already know that, Alpha," Jason interjected.

Again, Alpha nodded. "Then I'll skip the history lesson. Instead of setting the chamber to 'permanent,' I set it to 'temporary' by mistake. The Silver Ranger woke up and started banging against the chamber, trying to break free."

"And that's what caused the alarm to go off?" asked Zack.

"Affirmative, Zack," Alpha answered. "But as I said, everything has already been taken care of."

Standing with his arms folded across his chest, Jason looked down at Alpha. "What exactly does that mean?"

"See for yourselves," said Alpha.

Turning away from the Rangers, Alpha walked towards a nearby control panel and pressed a sequence of buttons. Almost immediately the Viewing Globe started to hum, a picture slowly coming into focus on the screen. The image showed the inside of the room where the Silver Ranger was being held, only now he was no longer locked inside his chamber. Instead, the glass chamber has been shattered and he was now standing in front of the door, to the casual eye appearing as though he was doing nothing more than looking at it.

"What's he doing?" asked Zack, watching the Silver Ranger intently.

"I remember seeing a panel next to that door when we were in there earlier," murmured Trini, her heart suddenly racing for reasons that she could not explain. "I think he's trying to get out."

The trio of Rangers all looked to Alpha for confirmation and it was given to them in the form of a single nod. "You are correct, Trini. Fortunately for us, I was able to activate the door's emergency lock in time. Even if he knew the proper code, the door can now only be unlocked from the outside until after the emergency lock has been disabled."

How disappointed Alpha was to find himself proven dead wrong when the door slid open not ten seconds later, the Silver Ranger disappearing from sight as he stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

"So much for that," muttered Zack.

Jason shook his head. "Come on; let's cut him off before he can do any damage."

As Jason started to move passed her, Trini reached out and grabbed his wrist. She'd already let him lead her to one bad decision earlier; she wasn't about to go diving headfirst into another just because he thought it was a good idea.

"How do you know he's an enemy?" questioned Trini, staring firmly at her lifelong friend.

"I don't," said Jason, pulling his arm free from her grasp. "But I don't know if he's a friend, either. That's why I said to cut him off instead of to attack him. If he fights, though, I'm gonna fight back."

That having been said Jason turned and started to run, exiting the control room with Zack following closely behind him. Momentarily debating whether or not she should go as well, Trini sighed and ran after them. In the sixteen years that she'd been friends with Jason, one thing that he had never done was lie to her; if he said that he wasn't going to attack the Silver Ranger unprovoked then she trusted him to keep his word.

Thirty or so feet ahead of her, Jason raised his eyes towards the ceiling as Zack ran by his side. "DECA, I want to know where the Silver Ranger is and what direction he's heading in."

"_Of course, Jason,"_ DECA replied. _"The Silver Ranger is currently in the stairwell, in between the fourth and third floors."_

Pumping his legs even harder, the Black Ranger looked back over his shoulder. "Elevator!" he yelled to Trini, "Third floor!"

Understanding Jason's instructions, Trini gave him a single nod and then veered off to the left at the next opening. Breathing heavily, Jason turned a corner and burst through the door that led to the stairwell, Zack hurrying to keep with him as they took the steps two and three at a time.

Not long after that, Jason came to a skidding stop when he looked up and saw the Silver Ranger standing one floor above him, just a single flight of stairs separating them from each other. Without a word he gave chase, hitting the steps hard as the Silver Ranger turned back around and pushed his way out through the stairwell door.

"Come on, Zack, hurry it up!" Jason yelled, following the Silver Ranger out into the hallway. "Stop running! We don't want to hurt you!"

As if on command the Silver Ranger came to a halt, albeit not because of what Jason had said to him. Trini had stepped into the hallway and cut him off, causing him to backpedal towards Jason and Zack as she approached. With nowhere to run, the Silver Ranger dropped to one knee and looked up at Trini.

"Do not follow," he said simply.

He became enveloped in a column of crackling silver energy, rocketing out of the ship mere moments before the other Rangers were able to close the gap. They looked in shock at where the Silver Ranger had just been, their eyes slowly raising to meet each others.

Staring at Zack, Trini shook her head. "I told you that something was gonna happen."

--

Naked as the day they were born, Tommy and Kimberly slept peacefully beneath the covers of the two beds which had been moved together to better accommodate their activities from the night before. Their legs were intertwined, Tommy with his arm draped over her side and his face buried in her soft auburn tresses.

In the midst of a rather pleasant dream the smile that he wore upon his face soon disappeared, replaced by a look of defensive shock when an ear-splitting whistle suddenly filled the tent. Both he and Kimberly immediately shot up, pushing themselves into sitting positions as they pulled the covers up for more protection and looked around the tent for the source of the noise.

They breathed sighs of relief when they saw Dulcea, a piece of her staff in each hand as she stood at the tent's entrance with her back to them. "The time to train has come," she told them. "Summon your animal spirits and join me outside."

After the Master Warrior had left, Tommy turned to Kimberly and smiled. "Some wakeup call, huh?" he asked rhetorically, sharing a laugh with his bedded companion. Raising his arms high above his head, he let go a loud yawn. "Well, I guess it's time to rise and shine."

"Yep," said Kimberly with a yawn of her own. "Let's go get our asses kicked by Dulcea."

Tommy laughed as he flopped onto his side and rolled out of bed, Kimberly doing the same thing across from him. On their feet they met at the foot of the two beds, looked at each other, and smiled brightly.

"You ready for this?" asked Tommy, winking.

"Oh yeah," Kimberly answered, cracking her neck to both sides. "Let's do it."

Tommy nodded as they fell into position. "Ninjetti!" they called out in unison.

"The Falcon!" shouted Tommy.

"The Crane!" yelled Kimberly.

Once more, with a rush of power their Ninjetti robes settled over them in vibrant, simultaneous flashes of white and pink light. There was just something about being Ninjetti, some underlying hint of something unexplainable that made it unlike any other power they'd held before. It was, in a word, incredible.

"Come on," said Kimberly softly, nodding towards the opening in the tent.

Side by side they exited the tent which disappeared into thin air almost as soon as they'd stepped out onto the plateau. Even in their robes the chill from the Phadoesian morning needled against their skin. Dulcea was standing there waiting for them, leaning slightly against the reconnected pieces of her staff. When two loud cries echoed across the sky, Tommy and Kimberly turned to the Master Warrior.

"What is that?" asked Tommy.

Dulcea smiled as she turned her back to them and looked towards the sky. "It appears we have visitors who wish to view your training," she answered, returning her focus to the Rangers who were still looking up at the clouds expectantly. "You need not wait for their arrival; they are already here."

Wearing matching expressions of confusion, Tommy and Kimberly looked beyond Dulcea to the edge of the plateau where two glowing, semi-translucent birds were now perched atop the stone ledge. Tommy's eyes instinctively settled on the white falcon, while Kimberly's naturally made their way to the pink crane.

When the falcon let out another cry moments later it sounded like nothing but a high-pitched scream to Dulcea and Kimberly, but for Tommy he heard so much more; he heard the voice that had spoken to him the night before.

"_Embrace my spirit, Tommy. Become one with the falcon and all that you desire will be yours. As well, you must be the one to guide the crane on this impending journey for her spirit has been injured for some time. Only when you have both attained the highest form of Ninjetti will your mission truly be complete. But fear not, young warrior, for your spirit animal will watch over you always."_

Standing next to him, Kimberly was experiencing something similar with her own animal spirit.

"_Kimberly, you are the shining star who has claimed my spirit as her guiding light, and though I protected another when you were no longer in need the crane has always been yours and only yours. With the help of our companion in spirit we will mend our broken wings and learn to fly once more. The power to do the unimaginable is at your fingertips, Kimberly; trust yourself as you once did and you will find that power. I'll be watching you."_

"Did you hear that?" Tommy and Kimberly asked each other in unison, laughing as Dulcea started towards them.

"Show me what you have learned since we last spoke, young falcon," the Master Warrior commanded to Tommy.

Knowing what to do, Tommy nodded. "White Falcon Energy Shield!" he shouted, throwing his arms towards Dulcea as a blast of white energy exploded from his hands. He was left staring at the Master Warrior with his mouth agape when she effortlessly deflected the orb with a single swing from her staff.

"It's not so easy when your opponent is prepared, is it?" asked Dulcea, Tommy shaking his head in disbelief. "When one of your abilities fails you, you must then find another to rely on. So, now what will you do?"

Narrowing his eyes, Tommy rushed towards the Master Warrior; stopping just feet in front of her, he launched himself into a front flip over her head. Dulcea immediately spun around in anticipation of an attack, but Tommy was no longer there. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she whirled around to find him sitting on the plateau's stone ledge some twenty feet away.

"How was that?" he asked, smiling beneath his mask as he rose to his feet. Dulcea did not answer, instead opting to break her staff apart and throw the pieces at Tommy who twisted his body through the air to avoid them, smirking triumphantly when he landed unscathed. "I'm not a kid anymore, Dulcea. You're gonna have to do better than that to take me do—"

Tommy let out an audible oomph when something slammed hard into the back of his head, immediately dropping to the ground as the pieces of Dulcea's staff fell beside him having acted as something of a boomerang. By the time he had regained enough of himself to start a slow crawl back to his feet Dulcea and Kimberly were already standing on either side of him.

"Impressive, Tommy," murmured Kimberly sarcastically, giving the white ninja a hand as he grunted his incoherent reply.

"Never give your opponent the chance to strike when you have been given the opportunity to take them out," said the Master Warrior, pulling Tommy up. "Confidence is good, my young falcon, but cockiness will cripple you in the worst of ways."

Now standing, Tommy nursed the back of his head as he looked to Kimberly with eyes that were clearly embarrassed. The petite woman just smiled back at him, her lips veiled as she pushed him out of the way without warning. In one swift motion she dropped low and took a distracted Dulcea down with a strong leg sweep.

Unlike Tommy, though, Kimberly did not give Dulcea a chance to react. The pink ninja was on top of the Master Warrior in an instant, preparing to deliver a thunderous punch with a fist that was now cocked back and glowing pink. For her part, Dulcea was all smiles as she looked up at Kimberly whose eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Good, Kimberly," Dulcea murmured encouragingly. "Open your heart to your animal spirit; find the strength you have always possessed buried inside of you. Let go your inhibitions and use it. Use it!"

Closing her eyes, Kimberly used one hand to keep Dulcea held to the ground as she looked deep within herself. "Swift…agile…graceful…she is me and I am her," she muttered softly. Slowly, she returned to her feet and looked towards the sky, her arms raising high above her head. "I am the Crane!"

Dulcea watched on proudly, Tommy in shock as a constant beam of pink energy erupted from each of Kimberly's hands and shot into the air. For quite some time she remained like this, relishing in the surge of pure, unadulterated power coursing throughout her entire being.

"Wow," Kimberly whispered nearly two minutes later as she turned to Tommy and Dulcea, the latter of whom was now back on her feet. "How did I do that?"

"You are becoming one with your animal spirit once more, my dear," Dulcea answered, smiling. "Now," she continued, stepping away from Tommy, "let's see what you can do against more than one adversary."

Creeping towards Kimberly, Tommy watched intently as the Master Warrior retrieved the pieces of her staff, reconnected them, and pointed the weapon to the sky. She muttered something incoherent and then there were multiple flashes of lightning that struck down upon the plateau. The two Ninjetti raised their arms to shield their eyes until after the blinding light had dissipated, at which time they found a dozen or so creatures the likes of which neither had ever seen before.

They were lizard-like in nature; bi-pedal, black, and armored with handheld weapons that looked something like small scythes. Beneath his mask, for reasons he did not know Tommy smiled for just a moment and then the creatures were attacking.

"Is it just me or do the new ones always seem to get uglier and uglier?" asked Kimberly rhetorically.

Tommy chuckled as they went back to back, the creatures forming a makeshift circle around the Ninjetti. "Time to fly," he said, launching himself over the circle. At the peak of his jump he tucked his body into a somersault, landing effortlessly behind the creatures that were now looking around in confusion. "Hey, back here, guys!"

The three closest creatures turned around to find Tommy standing behind them, already in the midst of a spinning roundhouse kick that connected viciously and dropped all three to the ground in the process. Looking down at the creatures, Tommy shook his head and laughed. "The hand is quicker than the eye, my friends."

Across the plateau, Kimberly was currently doing battle with her half of their enemies. "Let's play CatchtheCrane_,_" she said with a laugh. Moving gracefully she dodged their attacks with the greatest of ease; flipping, cartwheeling, hand-springing, and somersaulting in every direction. She felt alive beneath the comfort of her pink robes, stronger now than she'd ever been before. With some distance between herself and the creatures, she looked at them disappointedly. "You guys aren't very good at this game."

Angrily, the creatures charged at her, Kimberly smiling brighter and brighter with each step they came closer. Once the distance had been shortened to just a few feet, she threw her arms forward and let loose with two bursts of pink energy. The first blast connected with one of the creatures, sending it flying off the plateau and over the sea of green that was the top of the Neola Jungle. The follow-up shot, however, did exponentially more.

Upon crashing into the chest of another one of the creatures, said creature was then thrown backwards, taking out three of his companions in the process. Grinning victoriously, Kimberly turned to the last remaining assailant who was now frozen in place with the realization that he was all alone.

"One-on-one?" asked Kimberly, dusting off her hands tauntingly before dropping into a crouched fighting stance. "I don't really like your chances."

The creature let out a fierce battle cry and then started running towards Kimberly with its' scythe drawn back in preparation for its last stand. Kimberly just smiled, everything seemingly slowing down around her as the creature grew closer.

"Now you see me," she continued, turning into a pink blur as she ran under the creature's outstretched arm. Whipping back, she waited until the creature had turned around before launching into a backflip kick that slammed into its' chin. Standing tall over the creature, she looked down and laughed. "Now you're unconscious."

Not seconds later Tommy reappeared at her side, his half of the creatures now eliminated as well. "Nice job, Kim," he smiled, the pair exchanging high-fives.

"Thanks," Kimberly replied, beaming. "You too."

"Yes, good work indeed," Dulcea interjected walking towards them. "You are learning quicker than I anticipated, but there is still much left for you to do before you can start your journey to the monolith."

"What next?" Tommy asked, rolling his neck in small circles.

Dulcea smiled. "You have proven that you are both superior students in the realm of hand-to-hand combat, but the Neola Jungle will require more than strength of body. Strength of mind will be just as important," she answered, speaking in a near whisper. "Close your eyes, my young warriors, and tell me; how strong are your minds?"

--


End file.
